Triple negative with chemo first

I’m starting chemo 17th for 12 weeks before surgery
Went to hospital today and she checked lump and she wasn’t concerned about it - it makes me wonder why they want to do chemo to shrink it then surgery because if it goes too small how will they get it all
Out? X

Hi DenM

Welcome to the forum and I’m sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. My lump grew small after my third infusion of chemo but I do know that there are ladies on here whose tumours didn’t shrink so their treatment plan was changed.

Best wishes

Daisy53

Hi Wisey254

They usually put a small guide wire in the breast before treatment start so that the surgeon will know where the tumour was even if it shrinks.

Best wishes

Daisy53

Do you mean after you third full cycle? Or third week of chemo since the start of your treatment? I have a marker so yes when I have my scan they will be able to check for any shrinkage xx 

Yep they’ve put a clip in whilst taking biopsies 

1. Sorry to hear you’ve been diagnosed with cancer. 
   I had chemo first 6 cycles and luckily for me the lump had shrunk by the 4th cycle, they had put a marker clip
2. in when I had a biopsy so when I had an ultrasound they couldn’t find the lump.  
   I went into hospital yesterday and had a mastectomy, although the lump has gone I have calcifications that they needed to get rid off, feeling okay surprisingly. 
   Good luck with your chemo 
3. x 

Aah that’s good news and so happy that your lump has shrunk! I think I just had one of those moments and appreciate everyone is different but you know when you’re not sure when you should notice a difference and then go down “that rabbit hole”, thank you Sasha Elizabeth and good luck with your recovery xx 

This whole process is like being down a rabbit hole, none of us thought we would be here, I know I certainly didn’t and it’s such a shock, I’ve just gone with it and tried to just get through each stage. 

My first symptom was a discharge from the nipple so I went to the GP straight away and then was sent on the 2week pathway, after my first cycle I noticed that the discharged had stopped, so i was lucky in that respect that the chemo really helped unfortunately it doesn’t help with calcifications so this is the reason I’ve had to go down the mastectomy route, now got the worry of results  

How many cycles have you got to have? 

I have one week of pembrolizumab, paclitaxel and carboplatin altogether and then 2 weeks of just pactitaxel. That’s cycle one and I have 4 cycles of this so 12 weeks and then 12 weeks of EC so 6 months in total. I’m due a scan in the next couple of weeks to see What’s going on and praying for shrinkage xx 

I started my second cycle last week Thursday. I was diagnosed in October. First chemo was 7th December. Xx