I’ve been diagnosed with Her2+,ER+ and PR+ stage 1 cancer I ( invasive ductal carcinoma grade 3 with high grade ductal carcinoma in situ)
I’m waiting for biopsy results to determine surgery levels. Is there a reason they have not asked me to start on any of the drugs that will target the Her2 and other receptors. My understanding is the drugs can help limit tumour growth and I think I should ask about these now.
My results appointment has been pushed out by 2 weeks and I’m concerned that the longer I wait the higher the risk of the cancer spreading. Is 2 weeks something I should worry about or does this type of cancer take longer to grow?
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Hi,
I had triple positive in 2021, at first they said it was 1.6 cm but after a lumpectomy the results were 6mm and high grade DCIS, no Herceptin no benefit, I was 77 at the time, I did have radiation for a month, and after that letrozole, which I took for 10 months, and stopped due to terrible side effects,I’m three and a half years out, I get my Mammogram every year, and I’m doing well.
A few weeks wait is nothing to worry about, they say by the time it’s discovered you’ve had it for 5 years, and you don’t start hormones until after the radiation,the same for Herceptin, after surgery you will find out a lot more.
All the best,
Trish
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Hi
I was triple positive, although that was not the original diagnosis. Originally the biopsy taken when I had ultrasound scan came back as HER2 negative. I was put onto letrozole until I had surgery. That was in April last year, surgery was at the end of May last year. The tests on the tumour removed came back as HER2 positive, therefore I needed chemo as Herceptin has to be delivered with chemo to begin with. I had to cease letrozole when I had chemo which was from august to December. I restarted it in January and had 9 fractions of radiotherapy also in January. I have continued having Herceptin injections every 3 weeks which will finish around October.
Hope this helps.
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Hi seren1
Thanks for posting.
It’s normal to have questions about the timing and order of treatment following a diagnosis of breast cancer.
Your treatment team will look at many different factors when deciding the best treatment for you and the sequence of these. Factors include the specific features of your cancer, as well as your general health.
Treatment for invasive breast cancer aims to remove all the cancer in the breast and any affected lymph nodes under the arm. This is called local control. Surgery and radiotherapy are treatments for local control.
Other treatment aims to destroy any cancer cells that may have already spread from the breast into the body through the bloodstream or the lymphatic system, and to reduce the risk of cancer affecting other parts of the body in the future. This is called systemic treatment. Chemotherapy, hormone therapy and HER 2 targeted therapy are all types of systemic treatment.
Systemic treatments are most often used after surgery, but can, in some situations, also be given before surgery to slow down the growth of breast cancer to reduce the chance of it spreading to other parts of the body. Or it may help shrink a large breast cancer before surgery.
It’s important your treatment team have all the information they need to make the best recommendation to you. Sometimes this means waiting a little longer for results of investigations and tests as you’ve been asked to do.
You might find our information on treating primary breast cancer helpful to read.
It’s natural to be concerned that waiting longer to start treatment will affect your overall outcome, however waiting a small amount of extra time is unlikely to affect this and mean your treatment are able to plan the best possible treatment for you.
It’s important you have all your questions answered though. You can contact your breast care nurse to do this and talk through your concerns.
You might also find it helpful to call our helpline to talk this through further or ask any other questions. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to additional support and information if necessary. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks.
We also offer a range of free supportive services for anyone who has had a diagnosis of breast cancer which you may be interested in. They include face to face and online courses and events.
For more details about all of these services, please see the information on the link, or call the helpline.
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