Dec 13, 2012 01:52PM QuinnCat wrote:

Oh Cheryline, I know.  My gf was grade 3, stage 3, though triple positive, and she is alive and well over 10 years later.  I worry about my Stage 1, so I get it.

VoraciousReader - I'm not so voracious, so will look at your link when I get a nice block of time.  Thank you.

Jan 21, 2013 08:20AM squidess wrote:

It's been about a year, and I thought I'd post an update. This post, even though old, has stuck in my mind. It's rare anything stays in my mind for a year! But I hate to think that my gorgeous sis's with a high oncotype score have no hope.

So here's the update... much to the consternation of my cranky boss, I'm still around and kicking another year later! Closing in on the 6 year mark and healthy as a horse. (A plump horse, that is.)

I got another 5 years of either AI or tamoxifen (my choice) given my high risk. Thought I was done, but oh well, what the heck. If I've gone this far, I can do another 5 years of side effects.

I learned to ride a motorcycle this year. That is an absolute hoot! Nothing like flying down the road with the wind in my helmet (I didn't go through chemo to smash my noggin all over the pavement) and waving to the other guys on bikes. Ahhh the brotherhood of the bad-a$$!

I LOVE being this age (50ish)! I realize that just the sight of me scares the young guys at work. One little stare over my glasses and they melt into the floor and slink out of my office. That is power!! Why are we so scary at this age?

If you got a high oncotype score, for sure you are being treated aggressively. And the good news is that these aggressive cancers tend to respond better to treatment. There's TONS of hope that you have had a complete response to the treatment regimen.

My dear sisters, if you are reading this, you are alive and life is enjoyable. We're not here on this earth to worry about the end. We have all been given a second chance to find our path in life. Focus on that, and not your disease. Go find your own motorcycle and enjoy life!

~Squidess (smoooooooch! love you all! you are beautiful, you really really are!!!)

Jan 25, 2013 09:25AM ablydec wrote:

Ditto that.  I peeked onto this thread because my Oncotype came back 53, and I got a little spooked.  (Especially since my mother was diagnosed at the age I am now, 48, and died of it 5 years later).  But I  started my chemo, I'm doing fine, and as you - and my MO said - these are the types that respond very well to aggressive treatment.

Squidess,  I love your attitude, and that line, "Go find your own motorcycle and enjoy life!"  is a real keeper.  I will do that!  :)

Mar 6, 2013 12:15PM 1OUgirl wrote:

Hello, I'm the lady that started this blog and I just wanted to post that I have gotten many private messages in my private email but since I didn't know I had a place on this form for private messages and my notification of this was turned off, I have never gotten back with anyone that has private messaged me.  So sorry.  I have rectified that situation by turning my notification on. I came back to this blog and have just seen "the roadshow" posting and I wanted to reply to that.  As of April 1, 2013 I will be an 8 year survivor of breast cancer with an oncotype DX score of 52.  Praise the Lord.  But when I had my tumor removed, doc did an MRI on my breast and noticed the margins were not clear.  My doctor said that there is no question but to go back in and get EVERYTHING that remotely looked like cancer.  I had another operation to remove any remaining cancer cells and the report came back that it was DCIS.  The doctor said that they would NEVER leave any DCIS in my breast if they could help it.  It is to be removed and treated just like the cancerous tumor.  So I would unequivocally talk with my doctor about DCIS cells still left in my breast.

Mar 13, 2013 01:32PM - edited Mar 13, 2013 01:33PM by 1OUgirl

One thing I would like to stress about the ladies that score high on the onco text.  My onc said that it is a great advancement to have this test because many ladies such as I with stage 1, no lymph nodes involved and the tumor being only 9 mm is that most doctors would have told me that to go home and live my life because I am one of the lucky one's who will probably never deal with this cancer again.  But the doctors always knew that there was a certain section of these very women with all those great stats that were coming back to the doctor with stage 4 cancer a few years later so the doctors needed a test to weed out those very ladies that truly did need much more agressive treatment.  My breast cancer was diagnosed only 9 months after this test came on the market.  I remember feeling that lump probably about a year earlier but tried to find it again and couldn't so I went on with my life.  If I had found it back then and they removed it without the onco test score, I would never had the aggressive treatment that I received and my onc says she isn't sure I would be here today.  So I thank God for that test, even though I didn't like it's results on me.