i was diagnosed with multi focal grade 2 cancer with lymph involvement on wednesday. My surgeon has said he wants to do a mx followed by chemo etc, but i was wondering if there are pros/cons to having chemo first? I don’t want to argue with him but want to feel i’m fully informed. What are others experiences?
I was given the choice and chose surgery first and then chemo. So glad I did. The lump was too big to reduce by chemo - small breasts - so mx was the right choice for me … and I was fit and healthy and coped well with surgery. Chemo totally wiped me out. In fact I’ve finished now but got shingles soon after and nowhave post herpetic neuralgia … everyone is different. You will know what is right for you. Good luck.
I think there are pros and cons of both. I had chemo first even though I was always going to have a mastectomy and it brought me time to research and look into recon options,research surgeons and also look into my family history. I opted for a bilateral mx with immediate recon using temporary expanders. If I’d had surgery first I was going to have had a single mastectomy as told. It also meant they could monitor my response to chemo which was quite reassuring as some people don’t respond to certain chemos - but there’s no way of gauging the reaction if the tumour’s been removed.
However, if you know what surgery and surgeon you’re having, then that’s less of an issue.
Good luck with your decision. I’d chat it through with your oncologist too…
X
I had surgery first full MX lymph node removal and recon
They didn’t offer me a choice but to be honest I feel like get the cancer out first - blast anything thy didnt followed by Rads. I trust my consultant as he is very expericened and have a brilliant Onc who was on This is Your Lie for his pionnerring work at the Marsden so feel I’lm in good hands.
Everyone is different - maybe ask what the diffence is if you wait. The op was not too bad - was sitting round a beach 4 weeks later! Depending on how you cope with Chemo, surgery may be better first and I recovered quite quickly. I’m not sure that after Chemo I’d want an op but talk to your consultants advice he should know best we hope.
Goo luck in your decision it was nice for me as it was taken out of my hads - this is what is happening and so forth.
Good luck
Ginge xx
I had a single lump, though quite largish. They opted for chemo first, with a 50/50 chance of it shrinking the lump. It did, so I could have a lumpectomy. Much depends on the sort of cancer and how much of it is where, I think. Well worth discussing it with the surgeon and team.
I found chemo ok. Had 4 lots of FEC and 4 of Tax and got very ratty by the last one but worked all the way through them. Not sure if that helps…
Ann x
Part of it is on age - there is evidence to say young women <35 probably should have chemo first - and women over 55 should probably have surgery first. But the middle bit is harder, and more on a case by case basis.
I am 31 and had chemo first. I had 4 cycles of chemo (FEC). My 5cm lump had vanished by the start of the second cycle. So I ended up having a wide total excision rather than a mastectomy. I have no family history and therefore no real reason for prophylactic mastectomy.
I do have triple negative breast cancer - where chemo is almost always needed - and they can be very chemo sensitive.
Thanks for ur comments, I haven’t been offered a choice as such but am quite sceptical of old men telling me I need a breast removed wen they have no real notion of the emotional impact of that. I am 44, so probably fall into the in between category. I wonder if if has recommended mx as I have multi focal cancer and one of the lumps Is quite high up on the cleavage bit of my breast. Won’t really get a chance to discuss it with him again as my surgery is 8th Nov but was curious that everyone seems to get different treatment and I wonder how much is down to ur surgeons preferences,
Thanks for ur help
x
Have you spoken to your oncologist too? You may well need a mastectomy regardless, and they should have discussed this at their meeting, but maybe your oncologist would prefer to do the chemo upfront to keep an eye on the progress? But maybe not! We do have to take faith in our teams at some point - but I am a HUGE pain in the a*se as ask SOOOOO many questions! Ha!
Just though I’d add my two-pennerth’s worth.
I had lobular, multi-focal (3 lumps), grade 2. I’m 42.
I asked if it was possible to have chemo first. I wasn’t panicking about getting it out as my consultant told me that she felt there was no panic in getting started, that we had up to 3 months to get in results and make decisions (she was saying this to reassure me about the speed of things, the reason being that they need to do things within a certain time to meet government targets and so get paid). So I had time to think. I’d seen what chemo can do (mum in law) and so knew what was coming in that sense and decided that the best thing for me mentally was to face one thing at a time. So having ‘just’ chemo meant I was only dealing with that. I got that out of the way and then faced my op.
I’ve very nearly finished now but have questioned and researched all the way thru’ . Fortunate that my consultant is a young woman who specialises in all of the procedures and is happy to take on new ideas. I hassled her about my lymph results - and so she agreed to do an SNB post-chemo only 3 days after being to a conference about new approaches. She also gave me an immediate recon even knowing I’d need rads - practically unheard of - but 3 zaps to go and alls still well.
My advice is to ask as many questions as possible and get second opinions. Change your consultant if you want.
If you were buying a car, getting your bathroom done or even just choosing a new telly you’d more than likely ask around and research - so why ever not for your body?
I’ve had no regrets about anything I’ve done - and if things go wrong later on least I’ll know that it was the result of the best decision at the time ad opposed to a leap of faith.
X
Hi,
I was dx back at the end of feb this year also at the same time with secondaries on my lungs, Had chemo first then MX with lymph node clearance, next its rads. (I turn 44 next week)
They gave me the choice about chemo first and I am glad I choose chemo first cause it shrunk the primary tumour and all other tumours right back to nearly nothing, making the op easier to get clear margins which my BS did manage to do including node clearance only 1 out of 13 nodes was positive.
I think its a personal choice. Hope this helps with your decision.
Sending love and light
sarahlousie xxx