Hi All
Sorry to ask but having a bit of a down evening thinking about this BC…!!
I didn’t ask the Onc about my prognosis as I don’t think hearing figures and stats will help me.
I had 2 out of 13 lymph nodes positive with my grade 3 tumour. Can I ask am I right in undersatnding that with this amount I am likely to have a local recurrance?
Many thanks
Paula
Hi Paula
I think we all have our down moments from time to time. I assume you are having Chemo and this should deal with any stray cancer cells that may have got away from the breast. Do you know yet if you will be having radiotherapy? I had radiotherapy to the remaining lymph nodes and the chest wall and my onc said that this is supposed to reduce the chance of a local reocurrence.
Hopefully, someone a little more knowledgeable than me will be along soon to answer your question too.
All the best.
Love Lollie x
Hi Lollie
Thanks for reply. I had axillary clearance and am about to start chemo this week ( ekk) and then radiotherapy. I had mastectomy on 1st Feb, tumour removed before that in Dec as they thought it was benign.!!Long storyish.
Cheers Lollie and all the best to you
Paula x
Hi Paula,
I had 3/16 nodes, plus a grade three tumour. I was dx Feb last year. I read a lot on the internet at the time, and found the research for FEC/Taxotere treatment in primary cancer, which is what I had. I’m trying to remember what I read, but my memory is useless these days. The five year survival rates were something like 90% still alive, and 78% with no evidence of disease. The trials hadn’t been going long enough to have ten year results. This research was done solely on women who were node positive. I know this doesn’t tell us what can happen after five years, but I found the results very encouraging.
Awww thanks Roadrunner…Thats lifted my spirits a tad !!
My tumour was 26mm and my treatment is 4 x Epi and 4 x Capacitabine ( I am on TACT2 Trial, accelerated) If I was not on trial it would have been 4 xs Epi and 4 x CMF.
Thank you…I think I have see a few people say they have a poor prognosis when its a grade 3 and with node involvment.
Get my positive strong head back on…!!!
Thanks x
Paula,
If you look at the ten year survival statistics on the Cancer Research UK website (don’t do it!) they don’t look so good, which is possibly what others are going on. However, by definition these are people dx at least 10 years ago (and how long have these stats been on the website - they haven’t changed since I first looked a year ago) and so they didn’t receive the latest treatments. I have had taxotere which wasn’t available then, and now I’m having herceptin - again not available then. So I don’t see those stats as being relevant to me.
Hey Roadrunner
TBH I don’t look at stats…we are so unique so for me I just think I am going to get on with my life and fight this bar steward if it ever shows it head again…!!!
My BC nurse told me to understand the cancer has gone and now the mop up with start…with regards to chemo.!!
Thanks again
P x
Oh goodness, I wish I hadn’t checked out this forum! I havehad grade 3 with lymph node (4 out of 13) involvement. The good news is I had two lumpectomies and lymph node clearance and am now surgically clear (at last, an advantage in being a “big” girl - room for partial removal of breast!). Starting FEC-T on 3rd April. The pathology still isn’t through about whether tumour was hormone or protein receptive. I suppose this is what I get for ignoring the lump for a few months.
Hi Westside…welcome and sorry to have to join the BC chicks.
Well the cancer is out then isn’t it…Just take what you need from the forum. Lots of good positive support from lovely ladies.
Me I accept I had cancer and now I just want to move onto next part of this journey…the chemo which starts Thursday.
Good luck with you chemo…
And with yours Paula. I suppose the good news is it’s not that exclusive a club - 1 in 9 is the statistic isn’t it? You’ll be a week ahead of me on the chemo then. Am generally feeling very positive, if somewhat sore! My husband had testicular cancer many years ago, and secondary lung cancer, so I am in the fortunate position of knowing what chemo is like - although the regime is different for bc. And, thank goodness, the drugs have improved in the last 19 years! Our family isn’t having a lot of luck I suppose - but on the plus side, we have two children they said it would take 3-4 years if at all to have - and I got pregnant only 10 months after he finished chemo! Lesson to learn - don’t rely on chemo as a form of contraception! All the best to you Paula x
WestsideSue - don’t worry about the stats, I don’t. I am just blindly assuming that I will be OK. I couldn’t function any other way. BUT having had this awful disease, it does mean that I look at life differently now, I have different priorities and I try to make the most of everything.
To both WestsideSue & Paula - try not to worry too much about chemo. It’s never as bad as you think it’s going to be. I wouldn’t volunteer to go through it again, but neither would I hesitate if it was necessary.
Thanks Roadrunner. I know what you mean about priorities - “one life live it” is my philosophy. This year is just a blip and I’m still determined to go on my holiday of a lifetime this summer, come hell or high water. Are you in remission at moment? Blind assumption that all will turn out well is the only way to cope I think. My life line says I’m going to live to 97, and I’m going to do it! x
I’ve done the mast/chemo/rads, and am now on herceptin & tamoxifen. I was dx Feb 07.
Oh word, you’ve really been through the mill. Still, you’ve come a long way in a year. I didn’t know bc could be hormone AND protein receptive. That’s a pain. I really do wish you all the best. The whole thing is really scary though isn’t it? I find the nighttime worst. My kitchen has never been so clean - it’s the only room I can mess about in without disturbing the family in the small hours! Do you have children?
I have three - 18, 15 and 13. So what with me now in the menopause, there are a lot of hormonally charged times in our household! We also have A levels & GCSEs this year to get through. All good fun.
Oh god! Mine are 16 (nearly 17)& 15 and doing Highers and Standard grades - kind of similar position to yours. And daughter (15) being a hormonally challenged individual at times, although she has been great now she seems to have accepted this. I saw the menopause as the one good thing to come out of all this - not to mention the chance to get some really wild wigs! I thought coming on the forum would allow me to be honest. But, it seems that HONESTLY I’m coping at the moment. Not sleeping, but coping. Am really pleased to discover that. And it’s nice to know the forum is here for chat, questions and to share experiences. I think the worst thing about chemo for me will be the medics trying to find a vein. My left arm is good, but they can’t use it anymore. They are talking about putting a line in. Which is nice.
So you’re in Scotland then? We’ve lived there twice - oldest was born in Aberdeen and youngest in Edinburgh (middle one in Bucks), but we’ve been in Leicestershire now for several years, which is where my husband is from so we have family here.
All the best to you both, Roadrunner and Paula. I’ll be thinking of you on Thursday Paula and hope it’s all ok. Try not to worry too much, and get some sleep before it all kicks off. I hope I can speak to you both again sometime soon. Take care xxx
Ooop - soz Roadrunner. Yeah, near Edinburgh. My husband is from Warwickshire originally. He’s got family there - but I prefer to be up here with my family! What were you doing in Scotland? Invading? lol!
If we were, we didn’t succeed! Left just as you lot voted for devolution (coincidence). Actually I loved living in Edinburgh, it’s a great city, but I also like having family around…