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Q: I am 28 and have already had a lumpectomy on my right breast. I am diagnosed with stage 1 situ invasive cancer. Are there other treatments other than chemo? I am definitley doing Radiation.
Eren, did you have two separate tumors? A situ cancer means that it has not spread outside the place it started, usually the milk ducts for breast cancer. An invasive cancer has begun to spread although if it is stage I, it would not have spread very far. Unless the cancer cells were tested and found to be very aggressive, chemo is not usually recommended for Stage I cancers. I think you need to talk to your doctor some more about why they think chemo might be good for you. It may be that your cancer cells are aggressive, or it may be that since this is your second breast cancer, they want to be very proactive to make sure that any cells that might have escaped your breast undetected are killed. There are other treatments besides chemo, but they vary according to very specific features of the cancer cells. I found it very helpful to have someone with me to take notes when I talked about treatments with the doctor. It's hard to take in everything when you are in the shock of a cancer diagnosis. Get more facts from your doctor so that you understand their recommendations and can make the decision that is right for you.
Phyllis is right, Eren - you need more information, and more understanding of that information. Stage 1 cancer doesn't usually warrant chemo, so hopefully that won't be on the agenda. Since you've already had a lumpectomy and are going to do radiation, that would be the standard treatment for your diagnosis - with the addition of hormone therapy drugs, if your cancer is hormone-receptive. So, bottom line - ask your doctor his/her recommendations going forward, and I'm betting chemo isn't in the mix. Good luck - PJH
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Thank you for responding back. My radiation oncologist did mention and had the same outlook and advice like yours. I feel much more better knowing this and I will definetly ask for more information before I begin any treatment.