Oncotype DX results.

Hi,

Sorry to hear your news but you sound like you're in a good headspace, i hope you are!

I had stage 2, IDC ER/PR 8  HER 2 negative....I had a lumpectomy back in Jan last year and one lymph node involvement, i'm 44!...I had lumptectomy and then chemo then radio and now on hormone drugs and injections to suppress my ovaries etc. i'm on Abemaciclib, anastrozole and zoladex. Feel like i'm coming out the other side and generally, bar a few menopausal side effects i feel pretty good.

My chemo was 6 rounds of TC and i had 3 weeks of radio. My onctotype score came back as high ROR at 62 so very similar to you, luminal B.

Hope that helps a bit, feel free to ask any more questions you may have but just wanted to wish you well on your treatment journey and hope you manaage to escape with minimal side effects...take care and look after yourself. xx

Hi, I didn’t have a oncotype score but did have a grade 3 Er, Pr+, her2 negative breast cancer grade 3 with 2 affected lymph nodes. I presume your breast cancer is also her2 negative. From the information you give, I appear to have had a similar cancer to yourself and have provided a brief outline of my treatment plan. 

I was diagnosed Jan 2023.My treatment plan was: total node clearance, 6 rounds of chemotherapy (3xEC followed by 3x docataxel) every 3 weeks. I had first dose of zometa infusion during chemo ( it’s 6 monthly for 3 years), followed by 5 x sessions of radiotherapy as I had a lumpectomy. I then commenced letrozole (10 year course) and 10 months after diagnosis commenced a targeted drug Abemaciclib which is a 2 year course . I was diagnosed at 61 and I’ve still 8 months before I complete the course of Abemaciclib. 

Hi Shade. Thanks for your reply. Yes my diagnosis was very similar.

I have already been told 3 weeks of radiotherepy with  Abemaciclib for 2 years and Letrozole ( I think 5 years but again waiting to be told) Was just waiting to see if chemo was needed. How have you found it all? When I saw the consultant after surgery I was given so many leaflets about each treatment and of course each one details all the side effects. I know everyone doesn't suffer with all of them but most people have some.

I hope you haven't suffered too much and best wishes for the rest of your treatment. XXXX

Hello

My oncotype score was 24.Before surgery I was ER/PR 8, no lymph node involvement and HER2 negative, so chemo was not planned. After surgery final pathology showed I was HER2 positive. I therefore needed chemotherapy. I had 3 EC and 3 docetaxel every 3 weeks. I also have Herceptin injections every 3 weeks for 12 months and am on letrozole for 5 years. I will start  zoledronic acid within the next few months. I had 9 sessions of radiotherapy also.

Hi Capemaal. Thanks for your reply. Strangely enough I feel I'm coping with things quite well. I've taken the approach that the illness has gone ( the surgery to remove the cancer) and now I need medicine to recover and keep me well. It just seems like there's an awful lot of medicine to take and things might get slightly worse before they get better. 

There is alot to learn, different medication names, which all have different reactions but everyone on this site is so helpful.

When the BC nurse rang me and told me my score she sounded quite sympathetic and said how sorry she was so I suspected it wasn't quite the norm.

So it's onwards and upwards. I'll find out on the 18th of next what is in store for me but first I'm off on holiday for a week in the sun.

Thank you again for your help. I hope all goes well with the remainder of your treatment and for both of us we make a good recovery and live our lives to the full. XXXX

Hi Valpy,

I wouldn’t say I’ve suffered but there have been days that have been difficult. Everyone’s body reacts differently to the treatments. The chemo was ok. I found the docataxel day 3 hard and I hated the injections I was given to boost your blood count as they induced terrible bone pain in me. I have managed letrozole quite well with few side effects. Radiotherapy was a walk in the park after chemo and presently my body is weary as I’m now on cycle 18 of Abemaciclib and the diarrhoea that this drug induces is an ever present hazard, but so far I’ve not shamed my self in public.

I still live a full life, see friends, look after grandchildren but have made adjustments. I no longer drink alcohol, I take my husband when I’m looking after the younger grandchildren, I exercise in the morning when my energy levels are higher and I carry an emergency pack in a large freezer bag of Imodium, wet wipes and a spare panty liner. Since treatments commenced I have holidays in the uk but others do go abroad whilst taking this medication. 

I hope your treatments proceed uneventfully. Advice I would give is when reading post on forums, remember women who are managing well don’t usually post so it can give the impression that certain medication and treatments are horrendous when in fact most are coping well.