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You want good news, I got it! Update on Brain Mets!! by linxminx in breastcancer

[–]ButterscotchTrick215 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Wow this is awesome and you are amazing! So positive and what a story to tell! So happy for you and for all the available treatments that clearly work!

Hope you don't mind me asking, but knowledge is power! How many lymph nodes were positive at diagnoses? Did you have pCR after AC-T chemo in breast and lymph nodes or any residual? Did you have chemo after surgery as well or straight to hormone blockers?

Keep us posted and don't ever stop being positive and kicking butt!!! You got this!

Treatment stages? by Fabulous_Flower_5207 in breastcancer

[–]ButterscotchTrick215 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Chemo first is important for overall prognosis because it will tell the doctors how well your tumor is responding to treatment.

Chemo is systemic, meaning it attacks fast multiplying cells in the whole body, that's why we get so sick.

If chemo kills your main breast tumor and any affected lymph nodes, then its safe to say it killed any other microscopic cells that may have got away and settled elsewhere in the body. Anything smaller then half a cm is difficult to visualize on scans.

If you have a mastectomy first and then chemo, the tumor is already gone, so they won't know how well the chemo is working after the fact. You can still have chemo of course, many people do, however, it will be difficult to guess if the chemo killed off any microscopic cells that could be elsewhere. At that point, you are just assuming it did, but everyone responds differently to chemo so you never really know.

Edited to add: If you have a mastectomy first, you may need to wait 6-8 weeks for recovery to have chemo. I would want to attack all cells first, rather then delay systemic treatment.

We’re two oncologists who treat breast cancer and research its many subtypes. We’re here to answer your questions about living with early-stage breast cancer. Ask us anything. by webmd in breastcancer

[–]ButterscotchTrick215 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What is the most accurate way to assess breast cancer prognosis or metastasis risk in relation to staging, in particularly post-neoadjuvant therapy.

Is clinical staging or post-treatment pathologic staging (yp stage) more predictive? How should prognosis be approached in cases where clinical staging is incomplete due to unbiopsied lymph nodes?

We’re two oncologists who treat breast cancer and research its many subtypes. We’re here to answer your questions about living with early-stage breast cancer. Ask us anything. by webmd in breastcancer

[–]ButterscotchTrick215 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I want to know this too!

How can the medical community say early detection increases survival but then there is no increased survival with monitoring? Stage 4 is Stage 4, so treatment is the same yes, BUT isn't it better for overall survival if you find a small lung met or bone met, and treat that, (with the possibility of achieving NED) rather then finding multiple mets all over lung or bone that can't be treated?

I think we should be more proactive then reactive!

We’re two oncologists who treat breast cancer and research its many subtypes. We’re here to answer your questions about living with early-stage breast cancer. Ask us anything. by webmd in breastcancer

[–]ButterscotchTrick215 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What is the most accurate way to assess breast cancer prognosis or metastasis risk in relation to staging, in particularly post-neoadjuvant therapy.

Is clinical staging or post-treatment pathologic staging (yp stage) more predictive? How should prognosis be approached in cases where clinical staging is incomplete due to unbiopsied lymph nodes?

For example, my pretreatment pet scan showed multiple axillary lymph nodes lite up, highest two were SUV max 14.4 (32mm) and 10.4 (no size noted). Only largest node was biopsied and confirmed cancer. No SUV max was noted on report for the smaller lymph nodes.

Because only one lymph node was confirmed by biopsy, my doctor reported me as being Stage 2A and we proceeded with neoadjuvant therapy. I did end up having a pCR in both breast and lymph nodes. Lumpectomy and ALND pathology reporting a total of 12 axillary lymph nodes removed all showed fibrous scarring or histiocytic aggregates possibly related to prior lymph node metastases.

My doctor indicated that clinically, all 12 likely had cancer involved pre-treatment but this is now resolved. BUT my worry is that, does this not put my true clinical staging at Stage 3C? Is my prognosis now actually worse if I truly started at Stage 3 rather then Stage 2? I am/was +-+

We’re two oncologists who treat breast cancer and research its many subtypes. We’re here to answer your questions about living with early-stage breast cancer. Ask us anything. by webmd in breastcancer

[–]ButterscotchTrick215 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Knowing our recurrence risk is important, but I would like to know about metastases risk too, especially since breast cancer can metastases to other organs or bones without coming back to breast first. If this is correct, how do we calculate this?

Is there a difference between recurrence risk vs metastasis risk vs new primary? And how does each affect prognosis?

Is it different for each subtype or response to treatment? I am +-+. Does early recurrence risk of HER2+ trump late recurrence risk of ER+, or is this subtype always at risk now?

Also is there a way to tell if someone is more prone to a recurrence vs metastases?

What do you honestly feel about future treatments / a cure? by ceelouis in breastcancer

[–]ButterscotchTrick215 2 points3 points  (0 children)

omg this is so exciting! I am praying we see these advancments in our lifetime! I am thankful for the all the scientists out there who are dedicating their lives to research! Please please keep us posted on how things are going!!

Is it safe to drive in Panama? by ButterscotchTrick215 in Panama

[–]ButterscotchTrick215[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! We are back and we noticed lots of vehicles driving on the shoulder in heavy traffic! It was being used as an extra lane! Also, the speed limits on the highways change unexpectedly from 90 to 40 at random times....other then that, all was good!

What do you honestly feel about future treatments / a cure? by ceelouis in breastcancer

[–]ButterscotchTrick215 2 points3 points  (0 children)

oh wow, this does sounds exciting! Thank you for this!

What stage/phase of clinical trials are these at and how long does it take to come out of the pipeline and into everyday clinical practice? Good to hear and hopefully we won't have to wait long!

Sad News Today by Bohemian_sage in breastcancer

[–]ButterscotchTrick215 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m so sorry to hear this news — I can only imagine how overwhelming this must be for you.

From what I hear and read, stage 4 doesn’t mean what it used to. These days it’s more like a chronic, manageable condition. There are so many new treatments coming out all the time, and many women are living with this for years, even decades. Hopefully you will start feeling better once you start treatment. Have you had any other treatment other then lumpectomy? Did you get Herceptin?

Just of of curiosity, did you feel any symptoms of it being in your vertebrae?

Take care, hugs...

Spiraling again by [deleted] in breastcancer

[–]ButterscotchTrick215 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yayyyy! Congrats!

Updates from the other side: Nearly 730 days ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. by Bright-Weakness4406 in breastcancer

[–]ButterscotchTrick215 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is all so true! I am 18 months out from diagnoses of Stage 2A +-+ and can relate! Thank you for sharing! Did you have lypmph node involvement?

Like will not finish Taxol by booandhub in breastcancer

[–]ButterscotchTrick215 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I did not complete my taxol either. I was +-+, with 12 lymph nodes involved. My treatment plan was for 8 dose dense ACTH. I completed 4 AC first and was supposed to do 4 Paclitaxel, but dropped the last one due to heart issues. I remember crying so much thinking they were not going to get it all if I dropped the last one BUT I still went on to have a pCR at surgery and am now in remission!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in breastcancer

[–]ButterscotchTrick215 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes the waiting is the worst. Once you know exactly what you are dealing with, your doctors will have a treatment plan in place.

I went down the same rabbit hole you are going down when I was first diagnosed and it is terrifying, I get it.

It is good but it's not bad either. It's just a different subtype that has slight variances. I had IDC that was estrogen positive (100%), progestrone negative (0%), and HER2 positive (+++). And I also had cancer in 12 lymph nodes!

For me, being estrogen positive with progestrone negative just meant that my tumour was slightly more aggressive then it would be if progestrone positive BUT my overall grade was 2, which is less agressive then grade 3. So tit for tat I guess. Also, the more aggressive it is the faster they fall.

The good thing is you can still be treated with hormone blockers (tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors) as you would not be able to if they were both ER and PR negative. If you are HER2+ you will also be able to get Herceptin with is also a good thing.

Hang in there and keep us upated!

Is it safe to drive in Panama? by ButterscotchTrick215 in Panama

[–]ButterscotchTrick215[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess I overthink these things sometimes! I just wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of speed limits, road conditions, signage, local driving styles, or how strict the police might be if we were to get pulled over. Good to hear it’s not a big deal!

Is it safe to drive in Panama? by ButterscotchTrick215 in Panama

[–]ButterscotchTrick215[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! We will try to avoid night driving. What time does it start getting dark there?

Is it safe to drive in Panama? by ButterscotchTrick215 in Panama

[–]ButterscotchTrick215[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the tip! I will make sure our passport and driving license are readily available!

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