So iv had an update on my diagnosis which is now confirmed at grade 2 stage 2/3 the overall size that needs removing is 9cm so they will be giving me a mastectomy which im ok with but will be advocating for a double with reconstruction, with it not spreading into my lymph nodes I am curious as to why they want me on the chemo first before surgery alongside hormone therapy if it hasn’t spread I don’t want to be pumped full of chemo if it can be avoided I’m still unsure and have a lot of conflicting advice it’s so frustrating not knowing fully what to do for my best interest 
I meet with oncology on December 10th so will know exactly how much and how long they will want me to have the chemo another long wait ahead 
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Hi,
They will probably be giving you chemo first to shrink the tumour this will make the surgery easier.
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Hi Chantelle
I’m not having chemo, although I would have liked the choice. In my mind chemo is the only way to “flush” through your whole system……just in case there are rouge cells.
But I also understand why people would be reluctant, both my mum and best friend had chemo. It was a difficult step for them.
From what I read, most treatments have some kind of unpleasant side effect. I’ve just started hormone therapy and that has the potential to give 5 to 10 years of side effects, as it changes your chemical balance.
Its a trade off….which treatment to endure, to reduce or stop it coming back.
It’s important you are given clinical guidance, so you have an informed choice, and that you are comfortable with the decision.
The waiting is awful, but it does give you time to think and rethink, and make notes for your appointment.
Best wishes x
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Hi Sal,
Thankyou for replying
I wanting to try the more natural healing methods all in all and I’m very worried about the side effects i could endure long term and even says it has a chance of secondary cancer elsewhere so in my mind I’m just so unsure 
The are giving me treatment which would only be for a year but it could have effects on my heart and all sorts it’s very scary x
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Morning,
I understand it’s to shrink the tumour but if they are removing with a mastectomy anyway does it make a difference? X
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Hi Chantelle
I admire you for thinking of alternative solutions, it is extremely difficult but hopefully the oncologist can explain the reasons for chemo better. But you can still have the final decision.
Regarding the secondary cancer worry….i hate to be blunt, but there is always a chance (albeit very small for many) that it could come back, regardless of treatment. They can’t give a 100 percent guarantee it has all gone, so these extra treatments are recommended to reduce the chance of recurrence. Yes some of them have their own risks. My hormone therapy put me at risk of ovarian cancer, but I’m at higher risk of breast recurrence without it.
It’s all very personal choice when it comes to treatment, and what is right for one may not be right for the other. I wish you well. X
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I wish it was straight forward honestly like the battle isn’t hard enough with the added extras but it is what it is
I need to do some heavy research but that was always my weak point in college 
so I doubt it’s any better now
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I agree 9cm is large and it may be close to the skin so they’ll want good clear margins if reconstructing therefore chemo would be suggested. It also is dependent on the type HER+, Triple negative etc…
I trusted my team to decide which treatment option would give me best chance of a cure. Chemo wasn’t easy but I’d kick myself if having been given the option I’d turned it down and had a recurrence. No one wants to poison their body……and chemo is poison, but for every side effect I had I thought about those sneaky little cells that were being killed off. Finished chemo in June. With the exception of clumpy hair (I cold capped and have tufts regrowth!) and one rather grotty toenail I am pretty much back to normal. Even letrozole side effects are minor. If natural treatments worked then I’m sure they would be mainstream, but they’re not. Some of the positive news stories regarding success with diet etc. (Elle McPherson et al) relate to very different early and non invasive cancers ( and they all still have had surgery) - you have to compare apples with apples. Diet and vitamins won’t cure cancer. They can help a healthy recovery after conventional treatments I agree that quality of life is important, but having the best chance of many more healthy years was worth a few unpleasant months for me. My team were very helpful and explained everything at every step of the way. DONT USE GOOGLE! Speak to your surgeon, oncologist breast nurse Maggies, Macmillan nurse.
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Hi, surgery can still be difficult even if you are having a mastectomy depending on the size of the tumour and its situation in the breast. Your surgeon will want to preserve skin for a reconstruction and the tumour could be close to the chest wall which can make it difficult for the surgeon to make sure all the cancer cells are removed and thus obtain clear margins. This may be why chemo has been recommended prior to surgery.
The true size, grade and lymph node status isn’t certain until after surgery. Many of us have had these factors altered when returning for our post surgery appointments.
Your surgeon and oncologist want to provide you with the best treatment they can to reduce your risk of recurrence. When I was offered a targeted drug Abemaciclib I was angry with my oncologist so I do understand. I wish you well on your cancer journey.
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Sorry to hear of the difficult time you are having. I still remember how I felt during those early days of my treatment journey so can relate, even though chemotherapy didn’t form part of my treatment plan in the end.
Chemotherapy can be given either before (neo adjuvant) or after (adjuvant) surgery. I’ve shared the cancer research uk website as I used that along with BreastCancerNow, Macmillan websites for information during the early stages to get a better understanding of the variables while I was waiting for appointments/results etc… at various points; just sharing these in case you want more detailed information from reliable sources while you wait.
I would agree that 9cm would be considered large and thereby can understand why neo adjuvant chemo has been mentioned; additional information on TNM staging can be found here. But it can also be due to tumour pathology such as IDC, Lobular, Triple Negative, HER2 status etc… So there are many factors, which result in each of us having an individual treatment plan that is unique to us.
One additional point I wanted to mention is that the “clinical staging” can change after surgery (pathological staging), this happened to me where the post surgery the size of my tumour was larger than pre-surgery with it being multi-focal and one lymph node positive which was only discovered during surgery not before. So that would be another factor the medical team would probably be considering when coming up with treatment plans which invariably can change as they discover more information through a combination of scan’s, biopsies, other tests, surgery.
So I can understand how frustrating it can be, I felt like that when my treatment plan kept changing (shifting sand), with new information after the initial diagnosis, but found this forum & the nurses helpline, helped in getting through those times. Ultimately I trusted my medical team, but requested second opinions when I felt I needed them to enable me to make informed choices at those points there was no direct medical recommendation/steer one way or the other.
Wishing you well. xx
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That makes a lot of sense Thankyou for explaining to me!
Once I speak to oncology I’m sure I’ll feel more assured xx
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This makes a lot of sense Thankyou
I’m sure I’ll make the right decision in the end xxx
Hi thanks for all of this it’s been very helpful i can understand more now why this has been recommended regarding the pathological tests after surgery.
I just want as many long and healthy years as possible for my kids and family x
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It’s to reduce the tumor as much as possible to be able to get clean margins when operating. I had the same chemo first then surgery followed by radiotherapy. Mine was stage 4 from the beginning, that was 14 yrs ago, still here on continued herceptin. I say throw everything you got at this both conventional medicine and complimentary/alternative, always tell your oncologist first. X
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Hi Sarah Thankyou for your reply and i will take that on board! X
Hi
Ive got a 5cm tumour in my right breast.not got in my lymph nodes.im having a mastectomy aswell as chemo before the surgery. Starting it next week.i think it is to stop the cells dividing and hopefully shrink the tumour. I was taking letrozole but hospital told me to stop taking it as i am starting chemo next week.trying the cold cap for my hair.feeling quite anxious as dont know what to expect.will keep a diary so i can monitor my side effects.but drinking a lot of water helps so ill do that.
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Sorry to hear your here with us but it’s a great forum for supporting each other I’m finding, do you have a stage and grade? I’m just going to do the big chop before I start chemo so I don’t get upset with it fallin out
Do uou have you’re treatment plan all set out x
Hi
Ive got nst hormone receptive.5cm tumour 2 leissons. T3 cancer staging.grade 2.
Ive already been to hospital 3 times this week going agsin todsy have my picc line done. Had to have a heart echo and ecg for my heart as ive got slight angina before they give me some of the chemo drugs.i believe the red drugs which end in rubin are very strong.im having docetaxel for 4 cycles.see how that is.i believe its 6 months treatment then im having a mastectomy and reconstruction afterwards.it a long long journey you can say 12 months.
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Hello @chantelle29 im fairly new to this page i just got diagnosed in october with a large area of high grade dcis and i have an invasice area aswell. I have had and a mammogram ultrasound anc biopsies. Then a mri and ct scan. My arra of dcis is 60mm so 10cm? And the invasive area (stage 2 grade 2) is inside this so they want to shrink it before surger. They are happy its contained in my breast but best to do chemo first for the her2 + and to shrink it
I have just started doxetaxol phesgo etc. 1/6 cycle, im triple positive. I will be having/opting for a double mastectomy and reconstruction just waiting to see the plan after chemotherapy if i need more chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
I am 30 and want to do all i can to see the back of this so double mastectomy going forward ive seen alot of woman on here doing the same. I have a 5 year old as well and its so hard but trust your medical team 🩷
Lots of amazing stories out there with people who have been through chemotherapy and are fit and well 
xx
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Hi Chantelle29 - I had invasive lobular stage2 10cm+ Had 2 lymph nodes involved. Was told it would be a mastectomy but surgeon wanted chemo first. She explained in great detail. In my case it was to shrink the tumour to facilitate a simple mastectomy with NO skin grafts etc. At 9cm that might be the reason. It’s worth asking plus ask them to explain whether lobular/ductal & whether invasive (within breast but spread from original site in breast - please don’t panic 
). I’m 18 months later - single, simple mastectomy (with axillary clearance) & cancer free. Couldn’t be better outcome. Xxxx Ana
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