Should My wife do Chemo?

By Ed Wednesday, May 05, 2010

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My wife recently has a Masectomy on April 23rd 2010. We received the Pathology report back today May 5th 2010. Now it states "HIGH GRADE INFULTRATING DUCTAL CARCINOMA" SIZE: 28MM IN GREATEST DIMENSION. SCARFF BLOOM SCORE 8/9. NOTTINGHAM GRADE III. ER/PR POSITIVE AND HER2/NEU EQUIVOCAL. Ki67 LOW (7%).

Now my wifes cancer was NOT in the lymph nodes at all and Margins are clear. I have head so much information as to chemo and I am truely against it as Oncologists look at Chemo as a way to make money and there is no true defining answer. I truley believe the Oncologists are just telling us to do Chemo for the wrong reasons. Can someone please easy my Mind. Thaks Ed

Comments (3) | Add comment

PJ Hamel, Health Guide

5/ 6/10 5:58am

Hi Ed - First of all, I'm sorry you feel like your wife is being advised to have chemo as a money-making scheme for the doctors. That certainly hasn't been my cancer experience - I've never had such caring, sensitive, professional and intelligent treatment as I did during cancer. But that aside, it looks to me like your wife's cancer is fairly aggressive, and could warrant chemo even without lymph node involvement. She's really on the fence here, given her diagnosis and treatment so far. I'd suggest you ask if she can have the Oncotype test, which will give her some guidance as to whether chemo would be a help to her, and would hopefully help you both decide if chemo is the right step. Good luck - PJH

PB61

5/ 6/10 9:30am

I recently had a double mastectomy in March, my results were somewhat similar to your wife. My doctor recommended I have Oncogene testing done. They send a piece of the tissue to a California lab for testing and score the sample. It takes about a week to get the results back. For a score of < 18 they do not recommend Chemo. They have a website where you can read about Oncogene scores. I believe the tumor has to be estrogen (+) and not in the lymph nodes for this test to be a viable option. My score was low, so I am now on Tamoxifen, no chemo! Good luck and keep us posted.

Carol

5/ 8/10 11:45am

Oncotype DX test. I was told to have 4 rounds of chemo by my doctors. They had my trust and my port was scheduled as was the first chemo treatment. My cancer was IDC, grade 3, her2+, estrogen/progest. +.....oncotype DX is for estrogen + cancer...in an effort to analyze the removed breast tissue and check certain markers to see what effect chemo would have on the cancer cells....ie: what are the chances of recurrence. My onocologist, at first was against this test as my cancer has a high recurrence...indicative by certain markers and the "number" would come back high. (the oncotype has a system based on 1-100 and mine is suppose to be 20 to 30)

My personal support system through this ordeal as a single mom with 2 kids is limited, no insurance, and I am going to hell in a financial hell basket.....I have to substatiate numbers.

soooo, she ordered the test and the score came back 16 (sidebar note, I told myself it it was 20 or higher, i would do chemo) The test results came back the day before my port was scheduled. Every case is individual and your wife needs your support. I went through Moffitt Cancer Center and I never felt ONCE that they were out to extrapolate funds out of the non profit organizations and Hooters coorperation that stepped up to the plate to help me.

Good luck and God bless.

Carol

Should My wife do Chemo?

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