Masectomy op complete. What is the correct course of treatment now ?

Thanks Alison

The only survey report I could find on the effectiveness of Post-surgery chemotherapy questioned for certain breast cancer patients is on the following link and makes for very interesting reading. Only downside is it's now 7 years old and the success rate of 3rd gen chemo has obviously increased since then.

http://www.dana-farber.org/abo/news/press/071602.asp

I found a few articles related to breast cancer, but please note the dates, as many of them are more than 5 years old and may no longer be relevant. You can read the journal articles that your doctors are reading, to see some of the clinical lingo in writing, and perhaps your doctor can let you know if there are any updated clinical research studies published in the medical journals that you may read. (Accessible at university and public libraries).

My source is PubMed for published clinical and medical research (again, it is difficult to read unless you have a medical degree, but you can get a general idea of what the research topic is, and what they concluded from the study...may create some good questions for you to speak with your doctor about):

- Current Trends in Pharmacotherapy of Breast Cancer (2002)
- The Evolution of Primary Chemo in Breast Cancer (2004)
- Ovarian Carcinoma & Chemo Treatment (2009)
- Radiation and Third-Generation Chemotherapy (2004)
- Effectiveness of Third-Generation Chemothearpy and Lung Cancer (2009)
- Third Generation Chemotherapy and Lung Cancer (2002)
- Annals of Internal Medicine: High-Dose Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer (1996)

Thanks again for both your replies.

The Onco Type DX test looks superb but as it has been some time since the operation I don't think they would have kept the actual tumour tissue ? We are asking tonight just in case.

I cannot find much literature on the web regarding 3rd Gen Chemo treatment. Just looking for additional information. Are there any sources that you know of ?

The largest tumor may need examination through an Onco Type DX -- a gene analytical test of the actual tumor itself that helps to predict the benefits of chemotherapy plus anti hormone therapy vs. anti hormone therapy alone. It helps to predict the benefit of chemo in your mother's situation.

For more on the test, visit genomichealth.com.

Also, the full body scan that's going to be done at the Imperial College of London can only detect macroscopic disease, meaning the disease that's 2 to 3 mm or greater in size. It cannot detect microscopic disease.

Yes, your mom does need to have her whole body treated. The minimal therapy would be the anti-estrogen and the maximum therapy would be the anti-estrogen and chemo together.

Thank you for your question, and it is great that your mom is receiving a second opinion so that she is aware of all of her options. I have read about the great success rate of 3rd generation chemo treatments, and hope it will be approved in the UK soon!

I have forwarded your question to one of our experts, and hope we will hear back from them soon. Please keep up updated on your mother's condition, as well as her full body scan, while we wait for our expert's response.