Chemo before surgery? And with concurrent Hep C

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Susanbarrett
Susanbarrett Member Posts: 1
edited January 2021 in Just Diagnosed

Wow..Im completely lost with this diagnosis. Im not getting information like i should from my doctors. Pathology report? I haven t even seen a pathology report. Theyre telling me they want to do chemo be for any surgery but I think they just want to kill me with the chemo...as Ive witnessed in the past with friends diagnosis..I dont feel empowered in any way I feel like why the hell should I fight when the doctors dont even think my life is viable enough not to poison me to death.

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  • LivinLife
    LivinLife Member Posts: 1,332
    edited January 2021

    I certainly hear your frustration and likely worry Susan! I imagine you are not feeling empowered right now.... understandable when just getting a diagnosis and not feeling comfortable with what you know and don't know about your results and treatment path.... I'm not sure where you are from though are you able to get a copy of your path report? You sound pretty overwhelmed now which can be paralyzing at times too though if you are able to secure a copy that would be in your interest. When you say chemo before surgery that makes me wonder if you are HER 2 positive.... did you hear anyone mention that?

    Know we are here to help with info while not providing medical direction per se. There is also a lot of support on this site! I'm glad you posted here!!!

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited January 2021

    Susan, getting a copy of your pathology report is very important, in order to understand what you are dealing with.

    As LivinLife said, if chemo prior to surgery is being discussed, this would suggest that the cancer might be HER2+. That is an extremely aggressive cancer but the combination of chemo + Herceptin is so effective that the survival rate is now among the best of all breast cancer subtypes. So if in fact your cancer is HER2+, chemo is being recommended because, together with Herceptin, it has a good chance of saving your life. And acting quickly is important, which is why chemo is done prior to surgery.

    The other possibility is that your cancer is triple negative, i.e. ER-, PR- and HER2-. Here too chemo is often recommended prior to surgery, again because this can be an aggressive cancer and treating with a systemic treatment first (i.e. chemo) starts to reduce the risk of metastasis (when cancer spreads to other organs) as quickly as possible.


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  • hnsquared
    hnsquared Member Posts: 72
    edited January 2021

    Susanbarett.....I’m so sorry you are here with us. It’s so hard in the beginning and especially when you aren’t getting the information and answers you need. I got a preliminary path report when the radiologist told me I had breast cancer and a more complete report when I met with the surgeon.

    I wanted to respond because I just finished AC-T chemo 8/5/20. I did chemo before surgery because the surgeon found a suspicious lymph node during my exam with her and did a quick biopsy and it had cancer. I was terrified. I was told by my plastic that chemo before surgery is one of the best things that has come along because at the time of surgery you will know how your body has responded to the chemo. I worked 40 hours a week through my 16 infusions and only took infusion day off. I took the meds to manage side effects I wasn’t nauseous. I was tired but it was doable. Now I know everyone is different but lots of women do well through chemo.

    I would insist on a copy of your pathology and then ask all the questions so you understand it. If there is a nurse navigator they can be very helpful.

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  • msphil
    msphil Member Posts: 1,536
    edited January 2021

    sweetie my oncologist also suggested chemo before and after Lmast i had 2nd opinion and decided to go with their treatment plan. While planning our 2nd marriages i found lump in shower. Had my cry and then decided to fight with my fiance and family friends by my side. Hope and Positivity got me thru this difficult time. This yr will be 27yr Survivor Praise God and also our 27yr Anniversary. Hang in there. msphil idc stage2 0/3 nodes 3 mo chemo before and after Lmast got marriedbthen 7 wks rads and 5yrs on Tamoxifen.

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited January 2021

    I started to answer but it appears that Susan Barrett posted just once 10 days ago and disappeared. Were I to say anything, it would be to stress that HER2+ usually has chemo before surgery.

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