Hi i am new to this forum, got breast cancer diagnosis 11 weeks ago ER+PR+HER- after a roller coaster of scans, biopsies my oncotype dx results came back low.
So it is decision time for me i am already on anastrozole but can now also have abemaciclib for aprox 6 months to shrink lump and then surgery and save some of the breast or have a full masectomy first then take abemaciclib, finding it hard to make this choice and was wondering is anyone been in same situation.
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@peggy7 Welcome to the group no one wants to be in. The decisions that we are asked to make are so difficult when you’ve barely got your head around what’s happening. The only person can make the decision on how you want to proceed is you.
My gran had breast cancer and I always said that if I got it I would opt for a mastectomy. I ended up having a therapeutic mammoplasty, when the consultant told me that having a full mastectomy was no guarantee that I wouldn’t have a reoccurrence I decided to take my chances and keep my breasts. Surgery was successful and they managed to get clear margins. I’ve just finished radiotherapy and I’m due to start abemaciclib next month. I’m not sure this helped but good luck with your decision making.
Thank you for replying minahmoo the common thing seems to give abemaciclib after surgery but i am being offered it b4 surgery. I hav 9 days to make my decision.
I suppose it depends how you feel about mastectomy. I would of done anything to avoid one. Glad it was an easier pathway and didn’t need one. What size of tumour are they estimating? Is it in your lymph nodes? All worth considering.
Hi @peggy7
Ok. Here goes with what happened to me and my thoughts. I had triple negative cancer and was told that the best outcome is from having chemo first then surgery. The chemo was to shrink or even get rid of the tumour. Then when surgery happens it’s already gone or is so much smaller that the surgery is more effective.
Had my chemo then when the surgery took place it confirmed the cancer had already gone.
This helped with my mindset as other ladies were doing the opposite for their type of cancer and I would think how stressful that would have been for me if they did surgery and some cancer was left and that chemo would have to mop it up, how do they know the cancer has actually gone completely as there’s no tissue to test just scans.
I didn’t have the choice but I fell pleased with the route they proposed and I got closure and a sense of positivity that the cancer was gone and the tissue was also gone to help prevent recurrence.
Hope this is of help and that you make a decision that feels positive for you. Wishing you well xxxx