Shrinkage

HI Youhavegotthis, mine is a different cancer to yours but my tumour started shrinking after the first chemo and got smaller and smaller until you could not feel it and it had gone!!!!!!!  Love Ann

That's fabulous Ann I am so glad chemo has worked so well for you!!! Do you mind me asking which stage of treatment you are currently at?

I finished treatment 4th August 2021, but my chemo finished last September 2020

Hi Youhavegotthis

I could feel my large lump start to go soft after about two weeks into chemo. It had been as hard as a tennis ball before. I also thought I could feel it start to shrink at that stage, but decided that would be wishful thinking.

When I saw my surgeon after the 2nd dose chemo she agreed that it was smaller. I had an MRI just after that and then another after the 5th, penultimate, chemo. My BC nurse gave me the measurements from the images, when I asked after each one. My son worked out that on the basis of the latest image it was 97% smaller by volume than at the diagnostic MRI [and I am sure it got bigger between then and the start of chemo, tho no medic would agree, they said it would be the effect of the needle biopsy!}. These changes, so quickly into therapy were a great boost to me during the chemo, as I knew it was actually doing something to the BC which I could feel. After the surgery, the Path report said that there was no cancer left where lump had been or in two nodes which had been positive. Everything was fibrosed, yay! I had same type as you, HER2+, ER slightly+.

Wishing you all the best, especially softening and shrinking!

WallyDug

Mine was a different cancer but like others, felt the tumour go softer after the first dose and eventually it shrank so much that the surgeon couldn't feel it. It was still there, I didn't get a 'complete pathological response' but they had to put another marker in for the surgeon to know the extent of it.

It's an amazing boost getting the results of those MRIs when there has been shrinkage! It confirms what you think you are feeling.