Has chemo helped anyone ? How fast the cancer grows ?

Morning 

Sorry to see you joining us here and reading about your mum :-/

So, Triple Negative has a higher chance of recurrence within 1 to 5years and to be honest if this was me aged 79 and fit/active I think I would take my chances and not have chemo - Some TN ladies just have surgery and radiotherapy and do not get recurrence. In theory the surgery has removed the cancer, chemo is (systemic) to treat the whole body to find any stray cells if any exist.

However the chance of recurrence or secondaries are there and has to be thought about when deciding to go for quality or quantity of life. This is something only your mum can decide so be prepared for her to pick a choice you perhaps didn't agree with ? Of course the other side of the coin is seeing as your mum is fit and healthy she could cope with the chemo better and reduce those recurrence risks but no one can tell in advance how chemo will leave you healthwise after X number of sessions as everybody handles it differently and having 6 months of chemo is a rocky road to travel.

You are right about having one chemo session to see how it pans out but that can depend on the chemo being offered as some are more harder hitting and/or prone to causing health conditions than others. You could ask if Radiotherapy would be on the table with or without chemotherapy as nearly all those with TN get rads.

Do you know the names of the chemo drugs being offered ?

Take care, G n' J

Thank you so much .

yes below plan 1 is what is being offered by our oncologist

plan 2 and 3 are Second opinions we got from uploading reports to second opinion hospitals -

We have been advised chemo and radiation  . Which plan is better in below choices not sure -

plan 1:  Adriamycin+Endoxan - every 3 weeks, for 4 weeks.

               And then Paxitaxel every week for 12 weeks.

  plan 2: Paxitaxel every week for 12 weeks

              and then Adriamycin+Endoxan - every 3 weeks, for 4 weeks.

plan 3.

Adriamycin+Endoxan - every 2 weeks, for 4 weeks.

               And then Paxitaxel every week for 12 weeks.

Third one seems very strong 

second one seems but safer approach 

Hi 

I'm so sorry, I thought I had replied to this - don't know what happened there ?

TBH no chemo options are pleasant but of the above I think #2 with weekly Paclitaxel first is the kinder option. Be aware though the weekly paclitaxel is still quite a powerful drug albeit in lower weekly doses and the weekly appointments will probably be tiring for her.

Having said that the effects of chemo can become accumulative but if she wishes to go the chemo route she can stop at anytime if it gets too much.

Has she already made a decision by this time ?

G n' J

Thank you ,

Chemo starting tomorrow - most likely with paxitaxel first . Dr will let us know today 

For inserting the iV catheter - what is the best - since these are weekly sessions - would a port inserted under skin better ?

it is called mediport I think 

Best regards,

Ravi

I have a port under the skin, for me it was the best option. You don’t need to worry about getting it wet or getting it flushed very regularly 

Thank you for the quick reply .

we feel so much support in this group .

Bless all .

Best Regards,

Dear All,

An update to all wonderful people who helped me with their knowledge / experiences / info .

My Mom is 80 and has Triole Negative Brest cancer . Post surgery she has been taking paclitaxel weekly for last 10 weeks . She has coped well . Blood counts are still good . slight hair loss . But she is cheerful and goes about house hold chores and cooks some times 

now decision point after two weeks is whether to start the Adrimycin course - 4 courses - one every 3 weeks 

This may do more harm than good . Recent pet scan shows no cancer any where 

So she may  better off not taking Adrimycin after completing paclitaxel course in two weeks . Not sure if there are enough stories where 12 week paclitaxel course has cured the cancer 

Morning 

Pleased to read your mum coped with the Paclitaxel well, so it is make your mind up time for phase 2 of her chemo then :-/

Are they offering her Adriamycin (Doxorubicin) only or is it as per Plan 2 above and incorporated with Endoxan (Cyclophosphamide) ?

The names in brackets are what these chemotherapy drugs are commonly known as in the UK. You can check out the information links in coloured text to see if they contain similar information to what you have already read up on.

You could be correct in thinking this may be a step too far for her - Alternatively she could have one session to see how copes with any side effects and then decide to go further or stop. Aged 80, there is a lot to be said for quality of life over quantity.

It is a tough call but at that age I think I know what option I would take, and keep my fingers crossed the Paclitaxel worked it's magic on her TN.

Hope after reading through the pro's and con's you can both make an informed decision.

Take care, G n' J

Thank you so much ,

Yes it is the plan 2 - Adriamycin and Endoxan that is now to be considered after 2 weeks when the 12 weeks of paclitaxel is completed . 

We had taken second opinion from Stanford before starting Paclitaxel . Stanford opinion did not clearly say don’t  start Adriamycin! We also had a second opinion from UK consultant of about 20 years in the field . He said starting Adriamycin is big risk . Start with Paclitaxel.

I plan to go back and ask him again for advise .

But the Pet Scan has shown no other places where tumour has appeared . Also my Mom now is in very good condition .

So torn whether to start Adriamycin which may actually end up reducing life and quality . I am hoping Paclitaxel bad done the trick and we can monitor using Pet Scan periodically

best regards,

Ravi

Update as of 29 April,

Mom started Paclitaxel weekly course and did not start with Adriamycin as that was deemed risky and to evaluate after competing course of Paclitaxel whether to start on Adriamycin 

Now we are at that stage. Mom has coped well the chemo on Paclitaxel- 11 injections in last 11 weeks . Bloods reports are normal and Pet scan 2 months had shown no tumour in the body anywhere .

Thank you for the replies and help . Now I am pondering over questions below . If it is too risky to give Adriamycin. Has any one just stopped with Paclitaxel.

What is the recurrence rate/survival benefit in triple negative breast cancer for patients that complete the full course of paclitaxel + adriamycin?

What is the recurrence rate/survival benefit in triple negative breast cancer for patients that only take paclitaxel (like Mom has)?

What is the reduction in recurrence rate or survival benefit in triple negative breast cancer to be gained by additionally giving Mom the adriamycin course now that she’s finished the paclitaxel course?
Also what are bad effects of Adriamycin that can cause major impact on health , quality of life - based on her condition

Any experience of survivors of triple negative breast cancer ?