HER2+ treatment program

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CCCooper
CCCooper Member Posts: 2
edited October 2019 in HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer

I have had two of my treatments out of the six scheduled over 4 months. I can no longer feel the tumor in my breast and I have an appointment scheduled next week to check for shrinkage. Has anyone ever had less than the 6 recommended treatments and gone right into having surgery for a full removal of the breast with success?

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  • el7277
    el7277 Member Posts: 64
    edited July 2019

    Mine was no longer palpable...was 1.7 cm...but they do not know what is left until they do surgery. The docs could feel nothing but I still had residual tumor cells remaing after 6 tch treatments. My treatments ran from Dec 19 to April 4 with 2 weeks targeted therapy inbetween each infusion


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  • illimae
    illimae Member Posts: 5,710
    edited July 2019

    I’m not saying it’s not possible but probably unlikely. Since the standard protocol is based on clinical trials, the usual course of treatment is proven for its overall benefits and doctors/insurance companies may not move forward with surgery unless the chemo is completed.

    Just curious, if you’re able to stop early and have surgery, would you still have radiation and herceptin for a year?

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited July 2019

    I'm assuming you mean chemo with TCHP? I agree agree with illimae about completing chemo. You have no way of knowing how many microscopic rogue cells are wandering around your body.

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  • el7277
    el7277 Member Posts: 64
    edited July 2019

    TCH was it...no P for me under 2 cm.

    CCC...my BS echoed what Minus is saying...chemo treats the whole body.

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  • MissouriCatLady
    MissouriCatLady Member Posts: 977
    edited July 2019

    I don't know for sure, but would agree with Illimae. They could not feel mine either after a few rounds of chemotherapy, and doctor never mentioned stopping.

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  • WC3
    WC3 Member Posts: 1,540
    edited July 2019

    My tumor was no longer palpable after my 3rd or 4th infusion and the radiologist said the MRI after my 4th infusion no longer showed cancer in my breast but the path report found that I had DCIS remaining at the time of my BMX.

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  • Proud_Patriot
    Proud_Patriot Member Posts: 27
    edited July 2019

    My original tumor was 2.5cm. After a few TCHP it could not be felt. I did 6 treatments and when mastectomy was done there was still a residual tumor of 1.4 cm. Remember chemo is not only to shrink the tumor but also to try to kill any stray cells that have escaped into the blood/lymphatic system.

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  • Margun
    Margun Member Posts: 419
    edited August 2019

    Anyone here with her2 could avoid radiotherapy or it is a must

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited August 2019

    Margun - If you could go to 'my profile' and add your specs and make them public, it would be easier to answer. There's not really enough info in your post to see your diagnosis. But if you had lumpectomy, I believe the protocol is always rads. And if you didn't have neoadjuvant therapy with pCR, the protocol is still rads.

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  • Turkeypoult
    Turkeypoult Member Posts: 36
    edited August 2019

    I had a lumpectomy, then mastectomy and no radiation. Chemo TCHP starts 9/9.

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  • DogMomRunner
    DogMomRunner Member Posts: 616
    edited August 2019

    I got clean margins from surgery with no lymph node involvement. I still had to do the 12 (for me it was 11 due to WBC) Taxol and I will have Herceptin for a year. Plus I will have radiation therapy. None of my doctors have said anything about not doing all of the treatment

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  • Margun
    Margun Member Posts: 419
    edited August 2019

    hi Dogmomranner- did you have lumpectomy or mastectomy. I see lumpectomy in your history but I want make sure. In case of lumpectomy for her2 rads are a must, unfortunately. My friend had very small er and or positive but her2 negative tumour. With no node involvement She is having only lumpectomy and nothing else: no chemo, no rads, no targetedor hormon therapy..cancers are so different

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  • ByUmom2
    ByUmom2 Member Posts: 43
    edited September 2019
    Hi Margun, I did a lumpectomy due to a time constraint. Would have done the DMX then had I not had my youngest daughter graduating from high school. Did lumpectomy so I could attend all her ceremonies. I am meeting with my BS Tuesday and will be scheduling a DMX. I am choosing this in order to avoid radiation and also because of the dense breast. I have met with plastic surgeon to discuss options for reconstruction. I am choosing to go flat. Really do not want longer surgery table time and recovery time if I can help it. Best of luck to you! I am now following this thread since I have just started my year of Herceptin every 3 weeks.
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  • Margun
    Margun Member Posts: 419
    edited September 2019

    Byumom- did you have your bmx scheduled? I see you have no lymph node involvement therefore with mastectomy you will avoid rads. Some say rads are easy why do not take it and some talk about fatigue and lingering se. On why or another I think rads hav some effect on our bodies. I learned that even after mastectomy rads will decrease (slightly ) recurrence but majority of docs do not think it is worthy to do rads for such small improvement. In the same time the cancer is so scary that some would accept an over treatment

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  • ByUmom2
    ByUmom2 Member Posts: 43
    edited September 2019
    Margun...yes I am scheduled for BMX on Oct.3. When I did the lumpectomy my margins were clear, but one margin was close. I also had a Mammo this week. Radiologist came out personally to tell me that it was clear and looked great! She is the one who did my biopsy back in April. I have chosen no reconstruction. As for the rads, my skin is super sensitive so I know I would more than likely have some issues and se’s from it.
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  • Brooklyn1234
    Brooklyn1234 Member Posts: 97
    edited October 2019

    Looks like I'm the odd one out: My MO is very happy with the way my tumour is shrinking after a few rounds of low-dose taxol and herceptin and she has said if it disappears completely on MRI she will stop the taxol early. She says there's nothing magical about the number 12 -- it's just the number they settled on when this protocol was being studied.

    Not sure how I feel about potentially stopping early. The low-dose taxol is such light chemo to begin with, and I'm not getting any other drug, not even perjeta. Just radiation.

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