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Breast Cancer (Expert Forum)
Chemotherapy Option
Questions posted in the Breast Cancer Forum are answered by medical professionals from The Cleveland Clinic. Topics include Breast Biopsy, Chemotherapy, Hormone Therapy, Lumps, Lumpectomy, Lymph node dissection, Lymphedema, Mammograms, Mastectomy, Radiation Therapy, Reconstruction, Self Breast Exam, and Surgery.
Chemotherapy Option
by Belleview Teacher, Mar 05, 2004 12:00AM
Thank you for the great support you give us.
I am a 58 year old post-menopausal female. I had a simple mastectomy for breast cancer. The pathology report was 1.1 cm medullary carcinoma, ER/PR neg, Her2 neg. The tumor margins were clear and the one sentinel node biopisied was negative for cancer cells. I had a MUGA scan (69%); a CT scan (with/without contrast)of the thorax and abdomen, both negative; and a bone scan, negative. My oncologist recommended 4 cyles of AC, but also gave me the option of following that with 4 cycles of Taxol. I have 3 short questions:
1)Would I benefit from the additional Taxol, or do the potential side effects outweigh the potential benefit? I just completed my second cycle of AC and have tolerated it well.
2)Are the CT and bone scans as effective in finding metastisis as an MRI and/or PET scan? The latter two seem to be the most common from what I have read on your forum.
3)I know that ER/PR negative is not a good thing, but is HER2 negative good or bad?
Again, thank you for your dedication.
I am a 58 year old post-menopausal female. I had a simple mastectomy for breast cancer. The pathology report was 1.1 cm medullary carcinoma, ER/PR neg, Her2 neg. The tumor margins were clear and the one sentinel node biopisied was negative for cancer cells. I had a MUGA scan (69%); a CT scan (with/without contrast)of the thorax and abdomen, both negative; and a bone scan, negative. My oncologist recommended 4 cyles of AC, but also gave me the option of following that with 4 cycles of Taxol. I have 3 short questions:
1)Would I benefit from the additional Taxol, or do the potential side effects outweigh the potential benefit? I just completed my second cycle of AC and have tolerated it well.
2)Are the CT and bone scans as effective in finding metastisis as an MRI and/or PET scan? The latter two seem to be the most common from what I have read on your forum.
3)I know that ER/PR negative is not a good thing, but is HER2 negative good or bad?
Again, thank you for your dedication.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-RN,MSN-rf, Mar 05, 2004 12:00AM
Dear Belleview Teacher: 1. Research has shown that there is benefit to the addition of a taxane (such as taxol) in women with high risk breast cancers. The only high risk feature you mention is the ER/PR negativity. There may be other factors leading to your doctor recommending taxol that are not mentioned. You should have a discussion with your doctor to further define your risks and benefits of this aggressive approach to treatment.
2. One could argue that many women with your cancer may not have any scans. In general, without high risk factors, large tumor, positive nodes, or her2 positivity, there may be no reason to do screening scans in the absence of symptoms. Each test has a different role in cancer care. None is superior to another for everything. Each is superior for certain aspects of surveillance.
3. HER2 negativity is a good prognostic feature.
2. One could argue that many women with your cancer may not have any scans. In general, without high risk factors, large tumor, positive nodes, or her2 positivity, there may be no reason to do screening scans in the absence of symptoms. Each test has a different role in cancer care. None is superior to another for everything. Each is superior for certain aspects of surveillance.
3. HER2 negativity is a good prognostic feature.
