Stage 2B with positive nodes
Comments
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@kindergarten:
It's a date. We'll meet back here in 16 years. But let's keep the dialogue going between now and then, too!
Bless you. Bless all here.0 -
dear colt45, I was diagnosed(idc stage2, 3 nodes involved,L mastectomy, 3 months chemo before surgery, and 3 mon after,chemo(cytoxin, adriamycin) and 5 yrs on Tamoxifen(for recurrence) I was in the process of making wedding plans with then Fiancee) when diagnosed, I had my cry, asked "why me" then with my husband,s support, lots of HOPE and always thinking Positive, especially from my husband,s urging, supporting me, telling me I would make it thru even when I was down, and dear husband I am now 19 yrs this year SURVIVOR(Praise GOD), so my husband support gave me more courage to fight the good fight, be there for her and tell her constantly "you will get thru this". msphil
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Awww great story MsPhil! And that is exactly what we need our husbands to be.....our cheerleaders, the ones who say without fail that we WILL get through this and we WILL come out on top.....TOGETHER, especially during those times that we are not in the right mind set! Congratulations on 19 years!
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Msphil!!!
Thank you so much for coming here. We all have reason to believe because those who have gone before us have had such great success.
You are a beautiful woman, coming here and spreading HOPE.
And thank you also for telling me your story as it pertains to what you needed most from your partner. This is what I need to know.
@wildrumara: thank you as well for your insight as to what is needed from a husband.
Bless you both. Bless all here.0 -
Bumping in hopes of more contributors...
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@ Stellar919:
I hope you have survival AND living/ thriving. I hope that for my wife and everyone here.
Some of the treatments are harsh. There are risk / benefit ratios to each one and we're all different.
But no matter how different the individual treatments are---they can all be the best treatment decisions for each person doing them.
We could ALL be making the best call for us.
Thanks for contributing.
Bless you.0 -
Kindergarten I know I pm'd u a long time ago.. U did neoadjuvant chemo correct? And was ur one node positive after chemo? Is that why u had rads? Or was it mastectomy first and rads regardless?
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@Stellar919:
We may not even disagree, either. Your plan needs to be best for YOU. Whose to say your's isn't best for YOU? Not I.
My wife prefers not to come here. I brought it up once shortly after her diagnosis and she told me she would rather not come. I haven't brought it up again. She's been coping in a way that works for her and she trusts her team. I think participating on a discussion board like this could drive up anxiety for some---and I guess she'd rather not test that out. She doesn't know I have an account here, but I am just trying to educate myself so I can help her.0 -
Hi, Shari!!! Thanks for your question, and yes, I did have neoadjuvant chemo!! I then had a bi-lateral mastectomy where before the surgery I also had a sentinel node biopsy on my right breast (all clear) ; and the surgeon removed 28 nodes on my left side, because of the one positive node that was palpable before chemo!! He decided to keep going!! The pathology report after surgery showed every thing was totally clear!!! I then had radiation after for extra insurance! But my radiation oncologist decided I only needed radiation on my left side, doing both sides would be overkill!! I then had a complete hysterectomy 6 months later! Yikes, I look back, and think was I crazy or what? I decided against reconstruction!! I was done with having any more surgeries! So far, so good!! Hugs to you!!
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Thanks kindergarten .. Appreciate the feedback.. Haven't had surgery yet but had at least one positive node positve before chemo.. Just tRyjng to see if rads is in store if nodes r negative (which we want!).. I kinda think it would b extra insurance as well...bit docs r saying if neg at surgery then rads would b overkill
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Dear Shari, I so agree with you now!!! I just did not have access to all the knowledge back then that they offer now!! You will do great and this will be all behind you soon!!!! Hugs, Kathy
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Thanks.. U think it would b overkill? I need to hear that from someone. Granted who know what will be until surgery.. But sometimes I think rads is something I should do. Regardless.. R u saying now u think U wouldn't have done it with no positve nodes after chemo?
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I am so scared Kathy so scared
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@Shari0707:
Rads is something my wife and I are trying to figure out.
We want to do everything that makes sense to us from a risk/ benefit model.
We have yet to meet with a rad Onc, but I'm trying to prep myself with good questions.
One of them will be something along the lines of: "for my wife's specific case, what is the risk reduction in distant recurrence?"
I will also want to know about risk reduction for loco regional recurrence should we do rads----and what will be radiated, exactly?
And what risks and benefits are there with each radiation 'package'?
These are things I'll want to know.
There is an article in this site's research section under 'radiation' . It stratifies locoregional recurrence risk at 10 years for over 1,000 subjects with stage 1 & 2 BC who underwent mastectomy without rads. Risk is stratified according to the # of positive nodes (0-3).
Bless you and continued health and recovery.0 -
I did my chemo first though.. True number of positive nodes may never be known.. If come surgery there e still positive nodes then rads a definite.. But if no positive nodes (what we want) docs say no rads.. However I am 31 and the cancer I have is grade 3 so I thinking rads should b done regardless of outcome to better my chances /div>
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Dearest Shari, please don't be scared and I certainly hope that I did not contribute to your fear! And I don't want my answers to be confusing to you!!!Do you have B-lateral breast cancer?? Because I had bi-lateral breast cancer, grade 3 and a node positive, I decided to have radiation as well. I was also 51 at the time of diagnosis and i was in menopause for a year!!! My cancer was estrogen fed, however, because estrogen can be found in the adrenal glands and elsewhere, I also had a complete hysterectomy!!!
My best advice would be to talk with your oncologist and a radiation oncologist . I do believe in very aggressive treatment, but I do want you to have piece of mind as well. 2nd opinions are also very helpful!!!! You are in my thoughts and prayers, and I promise you will find answers!! By this time next year, this will be behind you!! Don't ever be afraid to ask questions to everyone who is involved with your treatment plan. Hugs, Kathy0 -
Colt45,
Could you send me the link to this I can't seem to find it on this site.
Sharon
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@smo23915:
I just cut and pasted it for you.
Here it is. I hope it helps.
Benefit of Radiation After Mastectomy Isn’t Clear
Published on March 6, 2010 at 12:00 am
Last modified on November 19, 2012 at 5:14 pm
TOPIC: Radiation Therapy
TAGS:
A study tried to offer more information on whether women who have mastectomy to remove early-stage breast cancer (stage I or stage II) can benefit from radiation therapy after surgery. Unfortunately, there isn't a clear answer.
Radiation therapy is used after lumpectomy to remove early-stage breast cancer to lower the risk of the cancer coming back (recurrence). Research has shown that lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy is a good alternative to mastectomy for many women.
Still, many women choose to have mastectomy instead of lumpectomy. Because mastectomy removes the whole breast (as opposed to lumpectomy which removes only the cancer tumor and a portion of tissue around it), many women who have mastectomy don't have radiation therapy after surgery. But if the cancer has spread to the underarm lymph nodes, cancer experts have recommended that radiation therapy be considered after mastectomy:
if cancer cells are in four or more lymph nodes, radiation is almost always given
if cancer cells are in one to three lymph nodes, radiation is often given
Recommendations about using radiation therapy after mastectomy are based on studies done from 1964 to 1984. Since that time, breast cancer care has improved. We now have earlier diagnosis, better surgery methods, and better approaches to treatment. Because of advances in breast cancer care, researchers wanted to look at recurrence risk after mastectomy in more recent years and how much lymph node involvement affected that risk.
The researchers looked at the medical records of 1,019 women diagnosed with stage I or stage II (early-stage) breast cancer between 1997 and 2002. All the women had mastectomy and had from zero to three lymph nodes involved:
74% had zero positive lymph nodes
17% had one positive lymph node
7% had two positive lymph nodes
2% had three positive lymph nodes
Most of the women (77%) got chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or both after mastectomy. None of the women had radiation therapy after surgery.
After about 10 years, only 2.3% of the women had a breast cancer recurrence after mastectomy. The risk of recurrence seemed to be somewhat linked to the number of positive lymph nodes:
2.1% for women with zero positive lymph nodes
3.3% for women with one positive lymph node
7.9% for women with two positive lymph nodes
The number of women with three positive nodes was too small to analyze.
The very small difference in recurrence risk between women with zero positive lymph nodes and women with one positive node wasn't statistically significant, which means it could be due to chance and not because of the difference in the number of positive lymph nodes.
The recurrence risk for women with two positive lymph nodes was significantly higher than recurrence risk for women with one or zero positive nodes, which means the difference was likely due to the larger number of positive nodes. Still, the 7.9% risk of recurrence is much lower than the 20% to 25% recurrence rates found in earlier studies looking at recurrence risk after mastectomy.
Recurrence risk after mastectomy also was significantly higher for women age 40 and younger compared to women who were older than 40.
Because the risk of recurrence was lower in this study than in older studies, the researchers suggested that routinely giving radiation therapy after mastectomy to remove early-stage breast cancer to women older than 40 who had zero to three positive lymph nodes may not make sense. It does seem clear that radiation therapy after mastectomy is very important for women younger than 40 with positive lymph nodes.
Other breast cancer experts feel that more research is needed before changing the recommendations about using radiation therapy after mastectomy to remove early stage-breast cancer in women with one to three positive lymph nodes.
If you've been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, you and your doctor will decide on the type of surgery -- lumpectomy or mastectomy -- that makes the most sense for you. If lumpectomy is your choice, it's very likely that your doctor will recommend radiation therapy after surgery. If mastectomy is your choice, you and your doctor will consider a number of factors, including:
your age
cancer stage
number of lymph nodes involved
that can influence your risk of recurrence as you decide if radiation therapy after surgery makes sense for you and your unique situation.0 -
Thank you for cutting and pasting this. All so much information to make decisions. We read, think and then ask god to help us make the correct decision.
Sharon
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shari - I am sorry that you feel scared - so understandable.
Even if you are node-positive, radiation isn't a sure thing. Much will depend on what they find at surgery. For example, if they discover that your tumor is not too close to the chest wall, then rads may be less necessary. Rads may do nothing to improve your chances if, say, you have a mastectomy and the tumor is nowhere near the chest wall.
There is a tendency --especially in cancer-- to think that the more treatment = the better the chances. That is not necessarily true on a case by case basis. Less may be more for some. Good luck.
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Thanks Athena.. That some good insight I never thought of... Had my chemo already .. That's why I was thinking if that didnt do trick rads might but I guess lets wait until surgery ... Don't think tumor is by cheat wall.. Think imaging would have given a little insight to that and there was no mention of it
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Chest not cheat
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It feels good to be among my similar diagnosis sisters. I am now more than 75% of the way done with Herceptin after being diagnosed just a year ago. I don't know if this helps or not, but with most of our diagnosis, the changes of our survival in any given year is around 95% as good as the general population. Our chances of 5-year survival typically ranges from 75%-90% depending on our tumor size, grade, and type. So going into year two of being a cancer survivor I look at the next year and say, I will take that 95%!...and if I make it through this year, the same thing goes for next year. Some days I have been VERY convinced I will die quickly from this. It isn't a happy place and I get stuck there. Statistically though, it isn't the most likely outcome. That math degree was good for something! I have Herceptin treatment and am feeling worn out today from many side effect issues. BUT, today I am super greatful my neuropathy that I thought would be permanant has COMPLETELY cleared up. Being a lifetime runner this means a tremendous amount. My wonderful handsome boyfriend is meeting me at treatment. 4 rounds of A/C, 12 Taxol, and 9 months into a year of Herceptin and he has not missed one! There is a lot to be hopeful about! I did choose to get the radiation too although I was in the grey area. Because my cancer was on the right side, the heart side-effects from radiation are less and the statistics were on the side of getting the treatment. I am a natural food organic nut and have always been...so I didn't take entering into these treatments lightly AT ALL.
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My older sister was stage IIb with one node and she is 10 years recurrence free. She was ER+, grade I. I am HER 2+, grade III. Still, I am hoping I have her cancer-fighting genes and stay well. I also have an older brother who had melanoma with multiple node sights. He is now 20+ years cancer free. Yes, my whole family has had cancer. I have another sister in the hospital right now who just had her 5th surgery post stomach sarcoma diagnosis. But, we are all still here!!
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Mariasnow.. I like ur attitude!! And ur positve thoughts! Lets be friends!
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Thanks for sharing Mariasnow! We need more uplifting people here!
I was thinking about your comment on the decision to have radiation....You mentioned that you were in the "gray" area for radiation??? I would think with a 4 cm size tumor, being ER/PR negative, Her2 positive and the positive node that those four indicators ((TOGETHER)) would would be a definite to undergo radiation after mastectomy!
Congratulations for almost being done with Herceptin!!
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Wildrumara: I know I have asked u questions many a times and I know we talked about positve nodes after chemo... But how was ur response in tumor... Did it shrink a lot or was it still there.. And what was there were there still? were there live cancer cells in tumor or was it all in situ or dead? I have my surgery next Thursday the 28th.. It's been almost a month since my last chemo and I am going mad!!!! Tumor shrink.. Not a lot but apparently enhancement(possible activty) inside tumor was significantly less than before but I was so disappointed wanted super shrinkage .. Docs said response I had was typical and normal for er/pr positive her2 negative cancer...I am just so scared for path report to come bc I haven't had one yet and my report is coming AFTER chemo.
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Hi colt, I have actually seen it written down that olivia newton john was stage 3, from memory I think she was reported as having 6 positive nodes. She didnt want a fuss at the time as she didnt want it to impact on her child so at that time played it down. True inspiration. Good to see a 2b board.:-)
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Dear Colt, prayers are coming your way for a peaceful and restful weekend!!!! Kathy
Hugs!!!!0 -
Dear Stellar! Thank you for posting the article about chemotherapy!! Yikes, my Breast Cancer Surgeon at Magee Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh, left Magee to become the Head Surgeon of the comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Michigan!!! However, He and my oncologist both concurred that I should have very aggressive treatment, 8 chemo treatments, double mastectomy and radiation!! They both saved my life!!!! I need to contact him, to see if his philosophy has changed, I am almost nine years out with having bi-lateral breast cancer!!! Not sure what to think!!!
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