New here - support/advice would be great!

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onedaughter
onedaughter Member Posts: 3
edited June 2014 in HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
Hello all,

My mom was recently diagnosed with HER2+ Stage IIIb breast cancer (with breast swelling/redness present but not IBC) and is set to begin neoadjuvant treatment with Taxol and Herceptin tomorrow. Her onc wants to do 12 weekly rounds of this treamtent followed by another 12 weeks of FEC chemo plus Herceptin. THEN we can finally get around to surgery (the tumor is massive, 11 cm). Just looking for support from those who've had experience with neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced Her2+ breast cancer. We're still sort of in celebration mode due to the fact that there are no obvious distant metastases (never though I'd "celebrate" Stage III), but now I'm trying to look into more info on the neoadjuvant treatment approach as I guess that's our only viable option with a tumor of this size.

Anyway, thank you in advance for your help and support.
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  • lexi4
    lexi4 Member Posts: 1,074
    edited August 2007
    Hey,

    I was diagnosed in 8/05 w/ IDC bc. A few weeks later after a pimple spread into a small rash, I was rediagnosed IBC stage IIIb. My bc was also her2+++, er/pr-. I had my mast before chemo. I believe because I wasn't diagnosed w/ IBC in the beginning, they would have had me do surgery first. I sometimes wish I would have had chemo first to see how the tumor responded.

    Please know that your mom is in my prayers. I pray that she will find some kind of peace and strength to get through. Chemo sounds horrible, but it really is doable. Please let her know that this is a great place to find support.

    Hugs and Prayers,
    Lexi
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  • onedaughter
    onedaughter Member Posts: 3
    edited August 2007
    Thanks so much for your kind words and for sharing your experience. Mom and I were afraid it was IBC but the skin punch biopsy came back negative, so I guess that's the most we can know right now. Hopefully the chemo will shrink that tumor down to a more manageable size. Thanks again.
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  • maryannecb
    maryannecb Member Posts: 1,453
    edited August 2007
    My tumor was large too. I had surgery a week after Dx and chemo started three weeks later. The studies from 2 years ago showed no added survival to neo, only increased the chance of less invasive(lumpectomy vs Mastectomy)surgery. I am small breasted so with a big tumor was not a candidate for less surgery.

    Neoadjuvant with TH sounds like a good way to go. Hopefully you will see a good response. I have noticed the ladies doing neoadjuvant who get a less than good response feel badly about it...

    I am coming up to year 2 with no signs of recurrence. I have regained most aspects of my life and feel hopeful for a full cure.

    Fists up!
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  • onedaughter
    onedaughter Member Posts: 3
    edited August 2007
    Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. I love your picture, by the way! It's really good to hear positive stories from other women with big tumors who have had success with treatment. For us the main advantage of neoadjuvant tx is that we can start attacking any little undetected pockets of cancer cells that may not have shown up on the bone scan, CT scan, and other tests. And hopefully we'll learn something about what this tumor responds to. But I guess there is never a 100% perfect option - this is what her doctor recommended and it made sense so far. Hopefully it will do what we hope it will.

    Thank you again!!
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  • Annaanne
    Annaanne Member Posts: 190
    edited August 2007
    Welcome;
    I'm another who had a large tumor and neo chemo. At surgery there was still tumor left, plus one positive node. But...that was 2 years ago and I'm totally healthy again, back to my old self. I was also told that there was no survival benefit from neo chemo (I was able to have breast conservation, however) and doing chemo first has its challenges. It can be extra tough emotionally, not really knowing what will happen at surgery while dealing with chemo. But she'll be ok.
    Keep in touch with us and we'll help you and your mom through this.
    Annaanne
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  • jengrsq
    jengrsq Member Posts: 26
    edited November 2007

    Dear One Daughter,

                                   I have a large tumor too presently I am still on chemo to shrink the tumor... And you know what? The second week on Chemo you can not feel it on my breast.(Good News) I think the hardest is the waiting around before surgery. I know with me this will not happen until January 2008. I still have three rounds on Taxotere and herceptin. You are not alone....just one day at time..... I know with me and others here that's all we can do.

    Deb

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  • Hope_M
    Hope_M Member Posts: 261
    edited November 2007

    I did not have neo-adjuvant chemo, but did have a 8 by 9 by 2 cm tumor which was ER/PR - and highly Her2neu positive. I will hit my 5 year diagnosis anniversary next May and have made it to 4.5 years NED right now. Best of luck to your mom!



    Hope M.

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