I’m 47 was diagnosed with BC in May this year and had WLE with SNB in July.
my nodes and tumour margins came back clear final diagnosis of 2cm, stage 2, grade 2 ER+ HER2- IDC. Oncotype score was 25 putting me in the stressful “intermediate” risk category and I fully expected to by either recommended chemo or asked to make a choice myself. After meeting with my oncologist yesterday I now know that this time last year I would have been facing chemo, he would have have recommended that pathway to me.However the latest findings from the TAILORx trial, presented at this years ASCO meeting now suggest that for patients my age with similar scores the news has changed. It seems in women like me the increased benefit of chemo was actually more of an endocrine response. So rather than the chemo killing rouge cancer cells thought to be floating around it is actually the fact the chemo pushes you into early menopause which improves the risk of reoccurrence.This article explains things better than I can ascopost.com/News/60141
the good news is there are treatments available, other than chemotherapy, which can do this job. So now I’m not facing chemo, instead I will have Zoladex injections to induce menopause and take anastrazole (Arimidex) instead of tamoxifen for 5 years! And today I am tired because of the bubbly we drank to celebrate last night rather than because I have been lying awake worrying about chemo! 