My oncologist recommended ACT Chemo prior to surgery and then radiation and HR pill for 5 years. All of my tests and scans showed that my breast cancer is localized and no metastatic disease. I researched ACT chemo with possible and inevitable side effects, both short term and long term and decided the cons outweighed the pros, for me. At 70 I decided that surgery, radiation and HR therapy was the right decision for me. There are no guarantees with any treatment that it won't come back with or without chemo. Quality of life was important to me.
I understand your concern. I so much didnt want chemo but ended up having it to give myself best long term outlook. I am sure there are as many woman who took chemo as well as opted out. Its really your decision but your oncotype score plus tumor size, bc type, and node involvement are all factors to weigh along with the advice of your care team. Get a second opinion if you want. Understand the risks of chemo vs no chemo for your own situation. However, dont let fear of the unknown drive your decision. Chemo is manageable and most women do fine.
I had a unilateral mastectomy and 3 lymph nodes removed, everything was clear & negative! I choose to skip the chemo and herceptin therapy and going straight to having hormone therapy. (My choice) My oncologist ran some numbers and the 10 year life expectancy by doing it all or doing nothing was 8% difference. If I do only the hormone therapy the percentage difference was less than 4%. I’m 67 years old!
I am HER2- and had an Oncotype test done. I was told Oncotype test is for stage 1and 2 with no cancer in lymph nodes only