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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Breast Cancer / February 2006Neoadjuvant
Hi, Is there anyone out there on the neoadjuvant chemotherapy? I have a few questions if you can help. Tamara Hi, Is there anyone out there on the neoadjuvant chemotherapy? I have a few questions if you can help. ------------- I'm not on it now, but I had it in 2004. Neoadjuvant means you have the chemo before you have surgery. I had a very big tumor, so they (surgeon and oncologist) decided the best thing to do would be to shrink it with chemo before operating. I got terribly sick from the chemo, but the strategy worked. The pathology report after my mastectomy showed no active cancer was left in the breast. Remember, I said I had a very big tumor! Anything you want to ask me, don't be shy. Eva Hi Eva, Thanks for the invite to questions. I was wondering what chemo you were on and how did you make the decision to go the neo route - doesn't yet seem like it is the most popular route and I guess that I am having some understandable reservations. Thanks again. Tamara "R. Fizek" <fizkowie1@verizon.net> wrote in message news:zMwDf.1469$8U2.1128@trndny06... Hi, Is there anyone out there on the neoadjuvant chemotherapy? I have a few questions if you can help. ------------- I'm not on it now, but I had it in 2004. Neoadjuvant means you have the chemo before you have surgery. I had a very big tumor, so they (surgeon and oncologist) decided the best thing to do would be to shrink it with chemo before operating. I got terribly sick from the chemo, but the strategy worked. The pathology report after my mastectomy showed no active cancer was left in the breast. Remember, I said I had a very big tumor! Anything you want to ask me, don't be shy. Eva Hi Eva, Thanks for the invite to questions. I was wondering what chemo you were on and how did you make the decision to go the neo route - doesn't yet seem like it is the most popular route and I guess that I am having some understandable reservations. ---------------- It was Adriamycin+Cytoxan followed by Taxotere. 4 A&C treatments, every 2 weeks, then the Taxotere was also 4 treatments, but every 3 weeks. The decision was easy to make because, as I said, I had a very large tumor, and the doctors said they wanted to shrink it with chemo before operating. This would make it easier to perform the mastectomy. They also said studies have shown no significant difference in survival rates between women who have surgery first and women who have chemo first. Personally I am glad it was done this way because during the chemo treatments I was able to see and feel the tumor getting smaller and smaller until it shrank down to practically nothing. This way I *knew* the chemo was working. It gave me a reason to continue on with the chemo even though I had unusually bad side effects, and complete all the treatments. Eva Hi Eva, Did you have (or anyone else) have a side effect that you neck muscles felt weak and sore? Kind of shaky like after a long period of using them? I called the clinic and was told that this wasn't common but nothing to worry about - it just feels weird and of course I'm stressed about it -everyone says fatigue but some of these symptoms are hard to define... Thanks again, Tamara "R. Fizek" <fizkowie1@verizon.net> wrote in message news:ShBDf.3981$pO2.735@trndny09... Hi Eva, Thanks for the invite to questions. I was wondering what chemo you were on and how did you make the decision to go the neo route - doesn't yet seem like it is the most popular route and I guess that I am having some understandable reservations. ---------------- It was Adriamycin+Cytoxan followed by Taxotere. 4 A&C treatments, every 2 weeks, then the Taxotere was also 4 treatments, but every 3 weeks. The decision was easy to make because, as I said, I had a very large tumor, and the doctors said they wanted to shrink it with chemo before operating. This would make it easier to perform the mastectomy. They also said studies have shown no significant difference in survival rates between women who have surgery first and women who have chemo first. Personally I am glad it was done this way because during the chemo treatments I was able to see and feel the tumor getting smaller and smaller until it shrank down to practically nothing. This way I *knew* the chemo was working. It gave me a reason to continue on with the chemo even though I had unusually bad side effects, and complete all the treatments. Eva > Hi Eva, > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > about it -everyone says fatigue but some of these symptoms are hard to > define... I had various weird musculo-skeletal things during chemo. My back gave me trouble (resulting in more bone scans!). The left side of my face in the jaw area felt numb. I didn't have the specific weak/shaky/sore thing you're talking about, but that also sounds like it could be musculoskeletal. In my case, I concluded it was caused by some combination of stress, weakening due to the general physical effects of chemo, and fatigue. What helped: Stretching/yoga, a really swell kind of heating pad called a "thermophore", exercise, manipulation by an osteopathic physician, and (especially) massage. Oh, yeah -- and getting through chemo & getting stronger again <grin>. Many of us find we have some strange minor symptoms from the chemo (or the stress, etc.). You're doing the right thing by checking with your onco docs. Once they tell you not to worry, do try to do that -- there's plenty to worry about on this road without sweatin' the small stuff. If that fails, make them give you some Nice Xanax or Ativan or something <evil grin>. Take care, Ann T. Remove 'dontsendspam' from address to reply by email Hi Ann, Ah -the small stuff - you mean that stuff that I never even gave a thought to before my diagnosis and now suddenly seem overwhelmed and obsessed with? I already have the Xanax ( had to get after my diagnosis because I lost 7 lbs vomiting and diarrhea from the stress but stupid me - I hate to take it - you know the "crutch" business. (My mom had major depression through all of my adult life and I clearly remember the "lost is space" states from the meds and I don't want to be that way both for me and for my husband - I feel like I have to "confess" every time I need to take a Xanax) That's why I'm going to see the behavioral medicine person at the clinic - maybe she can help me to come to terms with this. Thanks for your posts - the support is very appreciated. Tamara R. Fizek wrote: > Hi Eva, > > Did you have (or anyone else) have a side effect that you neck muscles > felt weak and sore? Kind of shaky like after a long period of using > them? I called the clinic and was told that this wasn't common but > nothing to worry about - it just feels weird and of course I'm stressed > about it -everyone says fatigue but some of these symptoms are hard to > define... I had various weird musculo-skeletal things during chemo. My back gave me trouble (resulting in more bone scans!). The left side of my face in the jaw area felt numb. I didn't have the specific weak/shaky/sore thing you're talking about, but that also sounds like it could be musculoskeletal. In my case, I concluded it was caused by some combination of stress, weakening due to the general physical effects of chemo, and fatigue. What helped: Stretching/yoga, a really swell kind of heating pad called a "thermophore", exercise, manipulation by an osteopathic physician, and (especially) massage. Oh, yeah -- and getting through chemo & getting stronger again <grin>. Many of us find we have some strange minor symptoms from the chemo (or the stress, etc.). You're doing the right thing by checking with your onco docs. Once they tell you not to worry, do try to do that -- there's plenty to worry about on this road without sweatin' the small stuff. If that fails, make them give you some Nice Xanax or Ativan or something <evil grin>. Take care, Ann T. Remove 'dontsendspam' from address to reply by email Tamara Don't be hard on yourself, being diagnosed is very life altering. Things will get better, sounds like your doctors are progressive and knowledigible. My kids were school age when I was diagnosed and they were are doing fine in college now. Alex > Hi Eva, > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Tamara It's an interesting question. There doesn't seem to be any strong logical reason in most cases to do the surgery before the chemotherapy, but there are some cancers that are relatively unresponsive to any particular chemotherapy, so doing chemo first puts this minority of patients at risk of disease progression before surgery. However this risk becomes irrelevant where the tumour is large enough that surgery may not be able to remove it all. Logically is would seem that even then, doing surgery to remove what can be removed and then doing chemo seems equivalent, but the advantage of the 'neo' route in this case is that the path. lab gets to check that the chemo did its critical job. Tim Jackson |
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