1. < Breast Cancer

Chemotherapy doubts: Male breast cancer

Posted by agingrobert @agingrobert, Oct 2, 2020

I'm looking for opinions. I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. As a male, I learned there are no statistics related to male breast cancer because it's so rare. My odds of non-recurrence in 5 years are 60 percent, post-tumor removal, which was done. My odds improve only by 15 points, to 75 percent, if I undergo 20 weeks of chemotherapy, radiation, and hormone therapy. These numbers are based on WOMEN who were diagnosed with the same cancer, so I don't have much faith in the accuracy of the numbers. I'm at week 6 of the Taxol toxin and it is taking its toll. I'd like to learn if there's any knowledge out there related to the impact of discontinuing my chemotherapy after Taxol (12 weeks), and not undergoing the A/C toxins for the last 8 weeks. The A/C toxins present far more risk of permanent damage to my body, and my gut is telling me that the "cure may be worse than the disease". Regardless of my decision on chemotherapy I would still do the radiation and hormone therapies but thinking to eliminate the A/C. Just looking for more information to learn if anyone knows of trials or research related to the use of Taxol only for breast cancer. Thanks, in advance, for sharing.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Breast Cancer Support Group.

dianainstaug | @dianainstaug | Oct 7, 2020
In reply to @colleenyoung "Hi @dianainstaug, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I noticed that you wished to post a URL..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

Hi @dianainstaug, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I noticed that you wished to post a URL to web resources with your message to @agingrobert. You will be able to add URLs to your posts in a few days. There is a brief period where new members can't post links. We do this to deter spammers and keep the community safe. Clearly the links you wanted to post are not spam, so allow me to post them here.

- Treatment for Breast Cancer in Men https://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/MaleBreastCancer.html
- HIS Breast Cancer https://www.hisbreastcancer.org/

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Hi Colleen thank you for reaching out to me! Isn't that funny my first post in this discussion was actually not about me really at all! :O) I do have a question but don't want to put it in Robert's thread. I will do a new one now! Thanks Again

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ahurlbert30 | @ahurlbert30 | Oct 8, 2020
In reply to @agingrobert "Hello Colleen and thanks for the warm welcome. I had many questions for my cancer researcher..." + (show)
@agingrobert

Hello Colleen and thanks for the warm welcome. I had many questions for my cancer researcher friend and I did him about the various toxins involved with Chemo, Why 12 weeks of Taxol? Why not 13? Why A/C and Taxol? Aren't they supposed to do the same thing? Assuming these toxins do what they are supposed to, why will I still require radiation? His answer was simple, "everyone's body and cancer are different. treatments throw as much as possible at the cancer in hopes of killing and controlling it, without damaging your body, longer term". I learned from him that It's possible I could survive just as long without undergoing chemo at all, but chemo increases my statistical odds. That was his perspective. I also learned how much we still do NOT know about cancer, and that my cancer WILL return, eventually. It's genetically here and not going away so the trick is to keep it at bay.....and I then get more years. I also learned that other forms of cancer could exist in my body that haven't become tumors yet because my current cancer might be starving those cells. When I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Male Breast Cancer my Oncologist prescribed a "cure" strategy for treatment versus a "control" strategy. I've since learned that these terms are probably not accurate because my cancer will not literally be cured, it will hopefully be controlled. Getting back to my original question about foregoing AC- I worry about nose bleeds associated with AC. Long story, but I have an artery in my sinus area that was weakened by surgery many years ago. If it ruptures I will bleed to death because it cannot be reached. I need to decide if I pass on the AC, or risk bleeding to death. AC can also do permanent heart damage which is another concern of mine, however my heart is strong.

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I know I’m just one person but I have not had any bleeding issues while on ac. It’s all so scary! I’d love to chat more. My brother is a big researcher and he was very helpful in me deciding where to go for treatment and also what treatment to follow.

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silentfaith | @silentfaith | Oct 25, 2020

Don’t know if this will help, But the gene mutation CHEK2 causes Male Breast cancer. It is rare but
if you have CHEK2 there are other cancers to be screened for. Thyroid, Colorectal, Kidney. I was told
CHEK2 was rare in 2015, but after 10 family members tested 8 were positive. I’m sure there are many more in my family but they don’t want to know. The reason they thought it was rare is because unless you have the full testing done it
isn’t found. I believe they are screening now for mutations other than BRCA. Prayers for all

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agingrobert | @agingrobert | Oct 25, 2020

thank you for sharing this information. I did have genetic testing done but need to check with the technician to validate CHEK2. great information!

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1 reply
silentfaith | @silentfaith | Oct 25, 2020
In reply to @agingrobert "thank you for sharing this information. I did have genetic testing done but need to check..." + (show)
@agingrobert

thank you for sharing this information. I did have genetic testing done but need to check with the technician to validate CHEK2. great information!

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Glad i could help God Bless

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Oct 31, 2020

@agingrobert, how are you doing? Have you made a decision about continuing with chemo or not? Did you talk about it with your oncologist?

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1 reply
agingrobert | @agingrobert | Nov 1, 2020
In reply to @colleenyoung "@agingrobert, how are you doing? Have you made a decision about continuing with chemo or not?..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

@agingrobert, how are you doing? Have you made a decision about continuing with chemo or not? Did you talk about it with your oncologist?

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Hello Colleen. I'm still undecided. I'm in week 10 of Taxol chemotherapy and plan to complete the 12 week plan, however I'm not sure if I will do the AC toxin, which is prescribed next (for 8 weeks). I learned from my Oncologist that 5 year survival odds worsen by 2 or 3 percent if I bypass AC and move directly to radiation and hormone therapies. Not a huge amount, but enough to think about. I need to talk to more folks who have undergone AC to better understand the experience and risks. Still undecided, but I don't want the cure to be worse than the disease.

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1 reply
mrsisaiah4113 | @mrsisaiah4113 | Dec 29, 2023
In reply to @agingrobert "Hello Colleen. I'm still undecided. I'm in week 10 of Taxol chemotherapy and plan to complete..." + (show)
@agingrobert

Hello Colleen. I'm still undecided. I'm in week 10 of Taxol chemotherapy and plan to complete the 12 week plan, however I'm not sure if I will do the AC toxin, which is prescribed next (for 8 weeks). I learned from my Oncologist that 5 year survival odds worsen by 2 or 3 percent if I bypass AC and move directly to radiation and hormone therapies. Not a huge amount, but enough to think about. I need to talk to more folks who have undergone AC to better understand the experience and risks. Still undecided, but I don't want the cure to be worse than the disease.

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Thank you for sharing your concerns about A/C chemo. My oncologist told me recently that I there is a 5% chance of heart failure in 10 years and a 1% chance of leukemia in 10 years with A/C chemo. I will be getting my third dose (out of 4) next week and I am seriously wondering if it is worth it. I am interested in any additional research that you and others find.
I'm scheduled for 4 doses (8 weeks) of Taxol, which I am told has worse side effects and greater neuropathy risks.

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