USEFUL RESOURCES

class="donate-button" > Donate

USEFUL RESOURCES

Topic: AC or TC for me? (64 years old, oncotype score 28)

Forum: IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma) — Just diagnosed, in treatment, or finished treatment for IDC.

Jump to Bottom arrow down

Posted on: Sep 23, 2021 08:48AM

Posted on: Sep 23, 2021 08:48AM

oldladyblue wrote:

I am trying to decide between AC and TC. My oncologist recommends AC as it is the medical standard. She did say that I can choose TC because it might be easier to work my job on TC. (I work from home 24 hours a week.) I've been going crazy trying to make up my mind while I wait for my 2nd opinion on 9/30 and port installation surgery on 10/1.

Yesterday, I read the BreastCancer.org article on AC vs TC, Chemo with Anthracycline Better than Without which outlines that AC is usually better than TC in most cases, but gives the following statement:

  • For women with hormone-receptor-positive disease with no cancer in the lymph nodes (node negative), the TC regimen reduced recurrence risk by about 2.5% more than the TaxAC regimen.

That describes me.

I would like to hear from women who were given the choice between AC and TC, why you made the choice you did? And if 2.5% more reduced risk is significant enough for me to switch from AC to TC?

Thank you so much to all of you who still come here after treatment to help those of us beginning or mid our struggles against bc. And thank you to all of you mid your journey as it helps me to know you are out there.


Surgery 7/1/2021 Lumpectomy (Left); Lymph node removal (Left): Sentinel Chemotherapy 10/8/2021 Other Radiation Therapy 1/4/2022 Whole breast: Left breast, Lymph nodes Hormonal Therapy 3/10/2022 Arimidex (anastrozole) Dx IDC, Left, 1cm, Stage IA, Grade 2, ER+/PR+, HER2-
Log in to post a reply

Page 1 of 1 (4 results)

Log in to post a reply

Sep 23, 2021 09:19AM mountainmia wrote:

I was diagnosed with triple negative, so not in your exact situation. My oncologist planned to use TC for me, and provided research to me that showed it as a marginally better choice. (I didn't keep the research paper, so I can't point you to it.) As it happened, I reacted to Taxotere on multiple tries, which took it off the table for me, and also made Taxol unattractive. So I switched to 4xAC, dense dose.

His take on it, though, is we do what is possible, that gives us the best shot without creating more harm than benefit. Large population statistics give us some info on that, but each person is an individual and reacts somewhat differently, so there is no way to know if one treatment is better than another for that one person. You just have to make your choices, don't second guess, and hope for the best.

Good luck.

The rain comes and the rain goes, but the mountain remains. I am the mountain.
Log in to post a reply

Sep 23, 2021 09:57AM muska wrote:

I am not your exact situation either, but I didn’t stop working a full-time job while on AC + T. That was before remote became the norm. I think 24 hours of remote work a week should not be an issue.

I am not advocating for one regimen vs another, I am just saying medical reasons should be driving factor here.

Dx at 54 Dx 5/9/2013, IDC, Right, <1cm, Stage IIIA, Grade 3, 7/11 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2- Dx 6/13/2013, LCIS, Both breasts Surgery 6/13/2013 Lymph node removal (Right): Sentinel, Underarm/Axillary; Mastectomy (Left): Nipple Sparing, Skin Sparing; Mastectomy (Right): Nipple Sparing, Skin Sparing; Reconstruction (Left): Tissue Expander; Reconstruction (Right): Tissue Expander Chemotherapy 7/24/2013 AC + T (Taxol) Surgery 12/13/2013 Reconstruction (Left): Silicone implant; Reconstruction (Right): Silicone implant Radiation Therapy 2/28/2014 Whole breast: Right breast, Lymph nodes, Chest wall Hormonal Therapy 3/11/2014 Arimidex (anastrozole)
Log in to post a reply

Sep 23, 2021 12:59PM - edited Sep 23, 2021 01:15PM by ruthbru

Unless you have a bad reaction (which could happen with either choice), working from home 24 hours a week should be no problem with either combination, just stay hydrated and take your anti-nausea meds as directed. (I taught in-person, full time during AC, other than just feeling 'off', I did fine...actually, I think it is good to work so you just can't sit around thinking about cancer all day long).

*AC was the standard of care when I was doing chemo, so TC wasn't an option. See what your second opinion recommends and go from there.


"Invisible threads are the strongest ties." Friedrich Nietzsche Dx 2/2007, Stage IIA, Grade 3, 0/11 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-
Log in to post a reply

Sep 23, 2021 06:32PM oldladyblue wrote:

Thank you for your quick answers. Great tips in each post to help settle my mind. Definitely need to stop second guessing myself, get all my medical questions answered, tell the office I plan to keep working through this and be patient till my 2nd opinion consult.

Surgery 7/1/2021 Lumpectomy (Left); Lymph node removal (Left): Sentinel Chemotherapy 10/8/2021 Other Radiation Therapy 1/4/2022 Whole breast: Left breast, Lymph nodes Hormonal Therapy 3/10/2022 Arimidex (anastrozole) Dx IDC, Left, 1cm, Stage IA, Grade 2, ER+/PR+, HER2-

Page 1 of 1 (4 results)

Scroll to top button