Finally, some answers!

Hello,

We were able to visit with the Oncologist today and he went over some results. My mom has between a stage 2a and stage 2b breast cancer and it is considered aggressive triple negative breast cancer. What does that mean? It means that the pathology states that the tumor is estrogen receptor-negative, progesterone receptor-negative and HER2-negative. Sounds scary, huh? Well there is a positive. The positive is this type of breast cancer is generally responsive to chemotherapy. The trick is finding the best combination of chemotherapy drugs to fight the cancer. By finding out that my mom's cancer is an aggressive triple negative breast cancer it also explains why it has spread to her left lymph nodes. The good news: the full body CT confirmed she does not have cancer anywhere else in her body and the MUGA scan (Multi Gated Acquisition Scan) of her heart confirmed her heart is in "pristine condition" (we always knew my mom had a good heart ; ) One more CT scan will be run next week of my mom's brain, just to confirm her awful headaches are stress related (I know what your thinking: My mom is stressed? How could that be?)

Given the nature of the tumor treatment is to be started immediately. Some tough decisions have been made and on the doctors recommendations my mom has opted to begin dose dense chemotherapy. My mom will have a central line surgically implanted possibly the week of December 29th and the chemo will be administered through the central line every two weeks on Fridays, followed by a white blood cell booster shot on the Saturday after treatments. The first dose of chemotherapy will be administered on January 2, 2009. Three different chemotherapy drugs will be administered over 16 weeks. The first is Adriamycin, followed by Cytoxan, and Taxol. We met with the chemotherapy nurse today and thankfully he has a great sense of humor (laughter is sometimes the cure all). He explained to us all the side effects and what my mom will be experiencing over the next 16 weeks. As you might have guessed hair loss and nausea are inevitable. The plus is they have made some strides in treating the nausea. My mom has decided to take matters into her own hands regarding her hair (not surprising) and will be cutting her hair shoulder length and then cutting it shorter just before treatment. Following that we will have all kinds of fun with scarves and hats!

Once the treatment is completed my mom will have 2-4 weeks to recoup from the chemo and then she will have a mastectomy on her left side as well as removal of her lymph nodes. The hope is the surgery will mark the end of treatment. Depending on the progression and the response to chemotherapy and the surgery, other treatment options may be discussed post-surgery, but, we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

One thing I found interesting in speaking with the oncologist today is all the unknowns in cancer therapy. Anyone who knows me or my mom know that we have always been active supporters in the fight against cancer. It seems like everywhere you turn you hear about all kinds of studies and treatments for cancer. Back when my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer in the early 80's everything was so scary and invasive and while great strides have been since then we still have a long way to go. Now that there are all kinds of new drugs for treatment, little is known about the best combination of treatment. I wont go into the politics of research but, my hope is the future of cancer research is brighter.

As you can imagine between the diagnosis and the treatment options it is all a little overwhelming but I have no doubt in my mind we'll get through it. Keep sending you positive thoughts and energy our way!

Hugs! (I've been known to give them on occasion ; )

Chryssa