Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi, it’s easy to say but try not to worry. Your medical team will put in place the right treatment plan for you. Her2+ is aggressive however it is very treatment sensitive and thankfully for this cancer profile targeted therapies such as Herceptin and Perjeta are available. These have been a game changers for this cancer profile. Ive  just finished 14 months of treatment for stage 3 Her2+ BC. I had a very large tumour and the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes and was in my blood system. I’ve had surgery,  chemo, radiation, Herceptin and Perjeta. The treatment has been successful and my oncologist had advised that the chance of the cancer reoccurring is very low.  I was shocked when I was first diagnosed and it fair to say I went through a roller coaster of emotions over the first few weeks. I was to determined to fight this with everything I had as I have too much to loose - I must be around to see my kids grow up.  take care   ... View more

Hi, My seroma continued to need to be aspirated every 4 weeks right up until the time I had my second surgery 7 months later (ended needing a mastectomy after chemo as the lumpectomy didn’t get all of the tumour).  My surgeon aspirated it whilst he was doing the surgery. It hasn’t come back since.  They were getting approx 90-100mls out each time. My surgeon, breast nurse, and medical oncologist were fine with me getting it done. But my lymphoma therapist and radiation oncologist kept on advising me to let it settle naturally.... however it was like having a tennis ball under my arm and it was painful so I chose to keep getting it done. All the best! ... View more

Hi there, I had Herceptin and pertuzumab together for four cycles,  along with paclitaxel. For me Herceptin and pertuzumab were a lot easier than the taxol. AC was challenging also. We managed to isolate my systems to the specific treatment. I got mild diarrhoea for a day (usually day 4) with pertuzumab, and I got a mild headache for a few days and a dripping nose with herceptin. I’ve now finished chemo and just have 3 more cycles to go with herceptin. I do have some cumulative joint pain. My Oncologist believes it’s because the chemo put me into sudden menopause. I do wonder if it’s partly caused by herceptin - it is documented as one of the side effects and other members of this forum have also mentioned they have joint pain. I know no one else who has gone through menopause who gets pain in multiple joints. I’ll soon find out once I’ve finished herceptin 😄 All the best for your treatment! ... View more

Hi, Yes, this is definitely a conversation you need to have with your surgeon around what this means relating to your specific cancer profile and what this means for your treatment plan going forward. Not having LVI is better but it doesn’t mean the worst either. My cancer turned out to be more extensive than what they initially thought from the biopsy. Initially I was advised that I just Needed a lumpectomy and radiation. When they operated they found a larger tumour than expected and I had 3 lymph nodes with cancer, plus extensive LVI etc. This meant a change in my treatment plan to chemo, then a mastectomy, then radiation. The aim of chemo is to get control of the cancer locally and eliminate the chance of developing metastatic cancer. The chemo goes after cancer everywhere in your body. We are going for “cure”, my oncologist estimates that I have aN approx 80% chance of cure based on the treatment plan for my cancer profile. I’m really happy with this % as I was expecting a worse prognosis. Try not to worry, and perhaps think through the questions you want to ask at your appointment. They will put a plan in place to get you the best possible outcome they can. take care! ... View more

Hi, I had a lumpectomy and axillary nodes removed. I got a seroma in both surgery sites. I had to get the breast sermoa  drained twice but this cleared up by itself about 8 weeks post surgery. Five months on I’m still have issues with the seroma under my arm. I’ve had it drained three times, with a fourth one booked in for next week. I was told that usually they clear up within the first three months. ... View more

Hi, I got a  LVI (extensive) result on my pathology report.  I have stage 3 IDC HER2 positive breast cancer - node positive and large tumour. I’ve just finished the chemo phase of treatment (12 weeks paclitaxel with 3 weekly herceptin and Perjeta, then 4 x  dose dense AC). I’ll carry on with herceptin for a year. My oncologist is also recommending zoledronic acid as preventative treatment for secondary bone cancer - this will be six monthly for 3 years. ... View more