Chemo, Radio or Optima Trial???? Big Decision

Just in reply to your final question all my appointments from June have been face to face and result appointments I have been able to bring someone with me

I hope you get some ladies who can help with your earlier question x 

Hi Jac G,,,,,,similar to yourself, but grade 3 and mastectomy ( by choice ) , after oncotype test ( which I believe is similar to optima ) have been advised chemo would be beneficial and hormone meds. Saw oncologist yesterday ( face to face ) and she gave me prescription for letrazole, took first one last night and have had horrible headache ever since, don’t know whether coincidence or not, see what happens tonight….oh, the joy. Was also given the option of preference for next appointment either phone or face to face.

l’ve found making choice about whether to go with chemo very tough, but as she said think of it as another medication to give the best possible long term outcome……decisions, decisions!!

Good luck with whatever you decide xx

Hi Jac G

Answering your last question first: Before and during my chemo I always saw my oncologist face to face - I was diagnosed last November. Now I am on Letrozole (tabs), Herceptin and Pertuzumab infusions every 3 weeks as maintenance and prevention of recurrence. I always have a review appt after the pre-treatment bloodtest each cycle. Sometimes by phone and sometimes face-to-face.

I am mid in my 60s and had an aggressive type of cancer HER2+. Surgery alone only gave me a 58% chance of 10 year survival. My onc ran my data thro the NHS Predict algorithm. She could show me that each of the extra treatments added a slice of extra chance of surviving i.e. the Letrozole, herceptin, bisphosphenates  & chemo. All together these extra treatments take the probability of still being around in 10yrs up to 79%, although each contributes only a part of this. There is also extra benefit from the radiotherapy and the Pertuzumab (too new to be included in the survival modelling) which she told me will give additional probability.

I have completed the surgery, radiotherapy and the chemo now, and I am feeling very well.  I am so grateful to be getting all of this other extra treatment to get every extra % chance of  survival that I can get.

Wishing you all the best in your own decision making. 

Wallydug

Those are big decisions that only you can really make as you've said. For what it's worth, I would have taken everything they offered me, but I'm mid-40s and had chemo first so only had SNB in the end. I would be a bit annoyed too if I had gone back for auxiliary clearance only to be told I might also need chemo.

On the oncologist appointments, I often had telephone appointments during chemo, which I preferred as they don't examine you so no need for you to be there in person. I was working full time after a few days off each cycle so I found going to the hospital for something that could have been done over the phone a waste of time (I am self employed).

You're also exposing yourself to risk of covid or anything else, so the less time in hospitals or other medical centres the better, I think.