Chemotherapy

Hi  and welcome to this busy and friendly forum! It's great that your nodes are negative and it's was all quickly removed. Have  you been told what kind of breast cancer you have? Is it ER+/-, PR+/-, HER2+/-? Was there LVI found? A lot of women use Breast Predict to see what thr statistics are.  It doesn't include LVI which might be an extra risk factor,  and it presumes radiotherapy if you've not had a mastectomy. 

I was told my gain from chemo was 4%, downgraded to 3.5% since I did it (ggrrr!) and spent ages deciding what to do.  In the end I looked at the difference between still alive in 10 years at my age with and without chemo and for me it was 5.5 women would die in 10 years with all treatments treatments,  and 9 women in a hundred without chemo but hormone blockers. It's based on tamoxifen if ER+, which isn't as effective as letrozole (the tablet I'm on).  That meant I had a 1 in 18/19 chance of dying from breast cancer with chemo,  or a 1/11 chance without! If I manage to take the letrozole then statistically (someone has to be that 1 person!) then I've a lower than 5.5% chance if dying from my cancer. 

Chemo isn't a walk in the park though,  and some people have health issues at the end of it,  usually peripheral neuropathy, nail issues (Evonail is great) or mild heart problems.  Take a look at the June chemo thread.

Let us know how you get on deciding. X

Hi Regd20,

I'm one who refused chemo and radiotherapy after my cancer operations. See my profile.

I think the difference re chance of recurrence was 7%.

After three surgeries from which I recovered well I kind of thought at the time that my body didn't nee ,more stress.

My sentinel lymph node and margins were clear. Another aspect that made me refuse further treatments at the time was, that,

if despite those the cancer would still come back, the chemo drugs and radiotherapy wouldn't be effective again.

Now, two years later the breast cancer was back, in lymph nodes. And this time, after removal of those and a few more

I agreed to chemo and radiotherapy, lasting the second half of 2019. Chemo was very uncomfortable, but not as serious as

some others experience. Now have two more herceptin injections to go.

I still think I made the right decision to go without  the treatments initially. I had two good years before recurrence, and don't know how I would have taken chemo in 2017 after the surgeries. 

But I don't want to recommend this to you or anyone, because everyone's case is different.

Just thought I tell you my experience with deciding against the recommended treatments initially.

Hi, 

I'm no expert and I can't work with percentages...i can't even remember the name of the drugs I'm on! 

There are some very experianced people on here... Some of which bamboozle the heck out of me with the info they can remember. However... 

I'm currently going through chemo (half way through my treatment) and I was really worried about having it, to the point of refusing to have it when I was first told of my treatment options.

I didn't get told the percentage of having or not having the treatment but if having it increases the chances of you beating cancer, even if it was 1% I'd go for it.

Yes chemo has side effects but they effect everyone differently. What made me scared was reading the factsheets thinking I was going to get everything... Had to remember not to be greedy!

I'm not saying you won't be affected and perhaps I've been very lucky... I've only lost my hair, a few nosebleeds and the odd nauseous day but otherwise fine. But if treatment gives any possibility of increasing the chances of getting better, then that outweighs the risk of being ill? 

Covid also scares me... In a way more than the cancer! 

I started my treatment 1 week into lockdown, however the hospital staff are super careful and wear loads of PPE. Our treatment centre was shut off from the rest of the hospital so only cancer patients were allowed in. Your not allowed to take anyone with you which can be a bit scary at first but I've come to enjoy the alone time! Read a book, do a puzzle etc! Everyone now has to wear masks which I know does not stop covid but it helps. 

It's harder trying to be careful at home especially when there are kids going to schools again, husband working and pets to look after. You will have to be super strict and follow the lockdown rules and any info the hosp can provide to help guide you...there are things I didn't even consider like having separate towels! 

I'd deffo chat with your doctor or macmillan nurse team again, maybe they can help now you've had time to digest the info they gave you last time? 

Anyhoo, I've rambled on.