oncotype RS of 27

I was 47 when I diagnosed with stage 1 BC. I don’t remember all the details but my oncotype is 34.
I did whatever Mayo suggested, mastectomy surgery, 4 chemo infusions and now 5 yr of daily med, Tamoxifen.

Lot of side effects to manage but I have also seen other BC friends that opted out of chemo and/or tam, have cancer return a 2nd and 3rd time. Each treatment is different, choosing the right treatment should be based on health otherwise, support, activity, etc.

Hello. You're odds are very good without chemotherapy. Im 65 , 1cm lumpectomy, nodes clear, oncotype 51%, so 4 rounds of chemotherapy is happening. Are you in good health, shape and have a caregiver? Because chemotherapy is difficult. If my oncotype score was that low, I would have just done radiation therapy. Good luck and God bless.

I will repeat what many people here say, please listen to your oncologist because we're not medical experts. I'm 72, diagnosed stage 1 ILC last August & I began my journey at my local medical center but ended up switching to a wonderful cancer center, Fred Hutchinson, in Seattle & the difference was night & day! I would suggest getting a 2nd opinion. Oncoscores do not take into account tumor size, lifestyle or overall health. Not everyone relies on them 100%. I had a clean lumpectomy & 5-day radiation (very easy) & I take a half-dose (10 mg) of Tamoxifen to protect my bones. My tumor was 7 mm & onco was 22. We're each very unique & again, I believe you'd benefit from seeking out a new set of eyes with a highly-rated oncologist. Sending best wishes!

The Luminal B is something to consider. It tells you more about the aggressiveness of your type of cancer.

@jmab I just want to support and reinforce your posting.
I too would strongly advise 2nd opinions and, hopefully, one has access to a highly rated cancer center to do so.
And even with the very best cancer centers, even with a highly rated oncology team managing your treatment plan - the bottom line is that none of us know how our breast cancer will play out in the future.
One can do everything right in their lives and suffer a recurrence and vice versa.
We simply don't know.
But my personal opinion is to always give yourself the best shot you can, to stop those insidious, lurking cancer cells, who are very very tricky, from rearing their ugly face again.
To say it's not easy is an understatement. Strength and Good Health to All.

I was diagnosed at 70 with grade 2 idc. Lumpectomy/clean margins and lymph nodes clear. But high Ki67 (like you started smaller and grew by time surgery 6 weeks later) and oncotype 28. Told it increased possible distant mets by 17-20% but chemo would take it to < 1% for 9 years. I did elect to do chemo but it is all rock vs hard place. If I elected not to do it and developed new tumor in a couple years, then too late to reconsider. I didn’t want to go,through all this again if I didn’t have to. My problem with a second opinion is the decision if it’s adverse to initial opinion - which one is more “right”. To me one would need at least 3 and take majority opinion. I felt secure with my oncologist and elected to follow his recommendation. Would I again? Don’t know. The chemo caused some ongoing problems that are worse with the ai therapy. That’s my current problem and I have discussed it with him about decreasing dose, stopping medication for better quality of life etc., but he discusses standard of care. Again, I could find another oncologist who says my chances are low and with my age, I should just stop medication BUT again, if another tumor develops, I’m back at square one saying, I should have taken the medication - it was only 5 years. I understand this is all a personal decision and a trust situation and my choice is to do what they (and my research) indicates may work best.

@briarrose yes, very good points & I totally agree with your advice of giving ourselves the best shot possible to prevent recurrance!

@mistymar yes, I hear you. My take is slightly different because yes, in theory, having 2 opposing recommendations seems like a coin toss, but for me, it went deeper than that. The second oncologist that I consulted explained my situation to me in such a different way, I knew without question that she would be the better option. It was so gratifying & comfortable. A huge relief. A few tears spilled out! But I was probably just lucky. Also, for the record (food for thought) I take a half-dose (10 mg) of Tamoxifen to protect my bones & no real side effects. Sending good thoughts to you!

I had a slight upwards change of my tumor from the time of my biopsy until the time of my lumpectomy with 1 lymph node biopsy. ER+ PR +low HER2 -
Because one node was involved it was recommended I was a candidate for radiation. (CA 74, Onco score 13) I had 16 rad sessions and was put on an estrogen blocker 2 weeks prior to the beginning of my radiation. I'm now 6 months past radiation. My ER /PR HER2 number were never run a second time as far as I know. Good idea looking at your measurements again.

@pat9892 what does CA 74 mean? I am not familiar with what CA means. Would you mind explaining it to me?