Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hello Peanut, breath holding isn’t always needed. When I was planned we did the CT without breath holding and then I went back to the waiting room while the images were sent to physics where they overlaid the beams and decided whether we'd need to use breath holding. My heart wasn’t in the field so someone came to tell me that and I went home. If it had been, we'd have done the second CT with breath holding.   I'm now getting quite red. Only 2 more to go, but I'm having Monday and Tuesday off so that I can go to a conference.   Eliza xx ... View more

Good luck for today, Jencat.  Just remember to keep well hydrated and take the anti-sick meds!  Eliza xx ... View more

Hi Ali,  I had the taxane before the EC and had an immediate response. My concern was the reverse of yours - would the EC get the same good response!    Eliza xx ... View more

Good shrinkage, Ali; that is very positive. I too have had a good response to chemo and so have other people in my trial (including those in the control arm), which does bear out what they say about triple negative responding.   I saw my surgeon and have a provisional date for surgery of 15th November, which will be just over 3 weeks after my last chemo is scheduled.   I have had BRCA testing through the trial and there is a bit of family history including ovarian and prostate cancers, but it came back negative.   Eliza xx ... View more

Hello all!  I've had a good week 3, with no additional meds to take, which has given me much more energy.    The reason why why olaparib isn't standard is because as yet there is no absolute proof it enhances the effect of chemo, so it is not yet approved for use in treating early breast cancer. The trial I'm in is looking at whether it does and also when it should be given. I'm in the arm that starts it 2 days after the carboplatin and another arm starts it 2 days before.   I'm not having the F with the EC. My onc implied that I would have had it if I hadn't had the carboplatin. I think she does either carbo/taxol + EC or FEC + T.   I'm due to see my surgeon late Monday morning  to see if he thinks it has responded well enough for surgery (onc thinks it has). Then the next EC in the afternoon, so a full day at the hospital.   Wishing us all a good weekend. Eliza xx ... View more

Hi Xenia. I had 4 cycles of 3 weekly carboplatin and weekly paclitaxel (now gone onto 3 cycles of EC). The carbo/taxol worked really well for me. I'm not sure though whether paclitaxel is just as problematic as docetaxel. Worth asking, maybe? Especially as because it is weekly, the dose at any one time is lower. Eliza xx. Editing this to say that I too am triple negative. ... View more

Great that you told your onc how you felt, Jencat. Hopefully she will be more thoughtful in future. Apparently TNBC often responds well to chemo, so that is a positive.   I'm being treated in a clinical trial that adds olaparib to 4 cycles of carboplatin and paclitaxel (weekly paclitaxel and 3 weekly carboplatin with 12 days of olaparib) and is then followed by 3 cycles of EC. I've had the carbo/taxol/olaparib and the first EC. Definitely got a good response to the first 4 cycles but less sure about the EC. I'm having chemo before surgery.   I had been warned that the cyclophosphamide might make me sneeze as it went in, but it didn't though my nose did itch...   Eliza ... View more

Hi Jencat,   I'm another who is TN. Currently having chemo.   My oncologist told me that if I was looking at TN survival statistics, I should remember that these relate to women treated over 10 years ago. And that as a starting point, the chemo regime I would be getting has be shown to be more effective than the one(s) those women would have had.   Eliza ... View more

Hello Sarah,   I was diagnosed with IBC back in June and currently am having chemo. I do use google but you have to look carefully at the date something was published. Treatment for IBC has come on over recent years and if an article was published in e.g. 2002, it will be based on women treated 10 years before that, so not such a good guide for us today!   With regard to what to ask, I wanted to know the overall plan, with an idea of timescales. What chemo, etc., when I might have surgery. I wanted to know the pathology details, so whether it was hormone positive or HER2 positive. I think there is a leaflet here on the BC Care website that covers this and it is well worth a read.   Also worth thinking about is how you feel about clinical trials. Then if you want you can ask if there are any trials relevant to you. Not everyone likes the idea, but I am in a trial and very happy to be so. You can get an idea of what might be available on the CRUK website in their section on trials.   Hope it goes well on Monday and you get a good idea of your treatment plan.   Eliza     ... View more

Hi Ranij, how are you doing?   I had my first EC on Monday after the 4 cycles of carboplatin and paclitaxel.  Emend and ondansetron plus the steroids kept any sickness at bay, but fatigue has now set in together with a general not feeling great. I wouldn't want to drive, but otherwise it isn't too bad.   Eliza ... View more

I'm another diagnosed with TN in June. Now in cycle 4 of 3 weekly carboplatin and weekly taxol. After this cycle I move onto 3 cycles of EC. I'm in the Partner trial and having olaparib for 12 days of each CT cycle.   Eliza ... View more

So sad to say that SR Calypso died this afternoon.  We know that having jouneyed through the mountains, she will be met by Casey Jane and Booby as they continue their journey into the light. xx ... View more

Sadly, we lost another Storm Rider last night.  Ride safely, Booby; enjoy that party with Casey Jane. ... View more

I was thinking the same as I watched them last night! xx ... View more

Two years to the day since the last post on this thread, and with a heavy heart and tears in my eyes, I have the sad news that our Casey (jjane123) died this morning. We knew from her family that this was approaching and the Storm Riders have been keeping vigil around the fire since we heard. Jane was one of the very first to join the Newly Devasted thread that led to this one and in the words of our Riviera, who started the whole SR thing, Casey Jane (a train driver in real life as well as in Determination) is now steaming her way into the sunset. By a spooky coincidence, and because when you post a new comment what you see is the first page of a thread, I am wring this below one from Jane. A post in which she welcomes new women to the thread and says (quoting from that post) "Its uplifting, to know that women are waiting at the other side of determination, to great us when we arrive. Itr won't be too long before we arrive, so keep the fire burning and the wine cooled, its going to be one hell of a party." Indeed it was, CaseyJane, one hell of a party...party into eternity, dear Jane, but make sure you leave some of that malt for me! E xx ... View more

Rest in peace, dear Jane. There are no words. xx ... View more

Sorry, I meant to say a chat with the GP and armed with the Macmillan info. ... View more

The decision about whether or not to have genetic testing is a very personal one, but if you are at high risk you can usually have early screening without having to go through testing. The Macmillan site has a very basic risk assessment tool (called OPERA) which you can use to form the basis of a discussion with your GP about referral to the genetics service. Sometimes a family history on your father's side is actually more significant. This is because many men who carry the gene don't develop breast cancer and so can pass on the gene without appearing in the list of affected relatives - and they don't get ovarian cancer. They do get prostate cancer, of course, but that is a bit more complex in terms of assessment and age is relevant here. Val is right that breast cancer after 60 isn't so significant but it does still count in the assessment of risk, and having a substantial number of them in a family is significant. If she really is worried then I would have thought that a chat with her GP is a good starting point. S/he could then say if they thought it might be a good idea to take things further. Eliza ... View more

I think there is quite a bit of research going on around this very point at the moment. Looking at things like whether it is really necessary in some cases, if that relates to the sub-types of bc, how much rads to give, etc. But as I understand it, at the moment there just isn't enough information to make a firm statement on whether some people can "safely avoid" (as it was put at a presentation I saw) radiotherapy. Until all the studies have been analysed, most people who've had a WLE will be recommended to have radiotherapy. Eliza ... View more

Hi Kathy, I think there may be some debate about using bisphosphonates for those with osteopenia as my oncologist suggested that I should discuss with my GP whether I should take one (but did say that I should start calcium and vitamin D supplementation). When I saw my GP, she was of the opinion that I should take the bisphosphonate but I don't think that is necessarily a universal position. Perhaps your team are not so pro-bisphosphonate, especially as the scan showed no deterioration. Were you told when you should have another scan? The results of the next scan might be the deciding factor ... The factsheets etc available on bone health don't seem to be particularly helpful on this issue, so that may indicate that there isn't consensus on how to deal with it. Eliza xx ... View more