Hi I have had my surgery and removed a 2cm Ductal Invasive. Although the original biopsy thought it was grade 2 - 3 the histology report confirmed it as grade 2, invasive and ER+ and PR+ with “present” in the vascular which is why the oncologist has said I’m in the gray area for adding chemo to a treatment plan that already has radiology and hormonal therapy. Apparantly If I was younger I would have been told to have chemo but now that I’m older he has stated a 1-2% benefit to have it which would be up to me to decide. As I was due to have had a hysterectomy/ovaries removed for endometriosis reasons this will also need to be scheduled in later but I am a single mum of two with a special needs child so don’t want to turn anything down that I might later regret but was hoping someone might have some other insights?
Hi lulu15
I was diagnosised on the 9th April - have had my letter confirming everything what they found from biopsy -
Still don’t understand half of it - I have a invasive ductal, they’ve put core grade 2 in my letter but have been advised by Bcn it’s a typo! (Great start) I have no lvi, and am her-2 positive.
My treatment plan in herceptin, surgery and chemo nothing else mentioned but awaiting a consultation on Wednesday for a better picture.
Just a lot of wondering and waiting - I’m 38 with three young children xx
Hi Lulu
Has your oncologist or BC suggested you consider the Oncotype DX test as my understanding is you might be suitable for it and it aids the decision making when you fall into the ‘grey area’. It was discussed with me due to having a Grade 3 invasive mixed ductal/lobular carcinoma of only 11mm, clear nodes but hormone receptive. I am 58. All these parameters are fed into current diagnostic tools to churn out the stats but as I understand it these are quite coarse results and that the Oncotype DX test refines the results by further examining your biopsied tissue. Ultimated I have declined chemo for a variety of reasons but predominantly due to underlying health issues that are incompatible with chemo unless the benefit was going to majorly outweigh the risk. I also declined the further test as I did not wish to be told I was in a higher risk category than I had got my head around and find myself in an impossible situation.
I guess the long and the short of it is we need to find out as much info as we can and then make a personal decicion we have to live with. I know I have made the right decision for me but if I was younger with dependants and no underlying health issues I may well have made a different decision. As for having a hysterectomy, I have had one to those too and my recovery was very quick and uneventful and back to fully functioning after 6 weeks - perhaps because at that time I did have dependents and had to run around. I was 40. It was a ‘Dyson’ job rather than an abdominal which made a whole difference with no external surgical incision.
Warm wishes to you with whatever you do decide, please do message about anything if I can be of any help or support.
Katie
x
Hi Lulu,
I was daignosed just after christmas, had my op end Jan, had lumpodectomy grade 2 initally as small lump and id found it quickly but once biopsey done it was upgraded to 3 but my surgeon said only because aggresssive, whatever that means, possibly as tissue around was clear and lymth nodes too. He said i was border line chemo, but when i saw oncologist hr said no i didnt need chemo, it woiuld make hardly any differenmce to my risk of reoccurrence. tamoxifen and radio therapy would be enough,. In fact he said as im very slim and petite he thinks would do me more harm than good, atthough i have no other health issues, he flet chemo could cause some for me. So i accepted his advice, from what figures he gave ne seemed he was right. I am older than you 67 but am fit in other ways, I just felt relieved no chemo, but guess the clear margains and nodes do help with the decision.june
Hi Lulu, my consultant told me that they give chemo as standard to all HER positive people so they can have herceptin. I had a 4cm grade 3 invasive ductal tumour removed and had one lymph node positive for cancer, plus ER+ and HER+ so chemotherapy is a given for me anyway (I’m 36 and pregnant). I don’t envy anyone having to make a decision about chemotherapy, it must be so difficult. Take your time to consider your options. Xx