Deciding whether to go on abemaciclib (brand name Verzenio)

Thank you @auntieoakley, I feel like I know you reading your comments this last year. I admire your common sense answers and your knowledge of our shared condition. My story is pretty simple my husband and I have been going to Mayo for over 20 years. He has had 3 cancers, bladder, right kidney and left kidney diagnosed and caught early and treated at Rochester. We go every year for our check ups and 2020 was my year to be diagnosed with cancer. I was diagnosed with Stage II, one node positive, ER and PR positive breast cancer. But it was during covid so the breast clinic was down three surgeons so no surgeries till Feb or March, this was December. I reached out to the U of MN and met and a surgeon who I was very impressed with. Basically Mayo was my second opinion. In one afternoon in late December I met with the surgeon and her team, the oncologist and hers and the radiologist and his team. They were all wonderful but no surgery appointments were available. Amazingly a appointment was found for early January. I picked Mayo over the U of MN mainly because they were going to work with my allergist to find antibiotics and other meds I could tolerate. Through out my cancer journey I have been blessed and feel I made the right choice. All three of my doctors have been pretty wonderful.

Thank you for this note. I do not know about University of Colorado but I will reach out to them. I wrote to my primary doctor for her professional opinion but she deferred to my oncologist. I will write her again to ask for a second opinion. You have been very helpful.

Colleen, I am working on questions to ask my oncologist at RMCC for my meeting on January 27. I know they work with Mayo Clinic. Would it be appropriate for me to ask for a second opinion from him to send to Mayo? I first want to have a deeper conversation about my cancer and the abemaciclib. I hoping our next conversation is better than our first meeting where he told me about the drug and the major side effect was diarrhea. Plus he just said I would be a good candidate. I didn't know at that meeting what to ask. Now, because of you and this wonderful site, I feel confident going into my next meeting with good questions. I have already postponed the injections of Prolia until a second DEXA Scan. I'm seeing an orthopedic guy for a second opinion. I want to do what feels right for me but also not cause more problems with my health. I want to beat cancer for good. I don't want to be a patient that is argumentative about my treatment. Again, thank you for having this forum for me to vent and think out loud. I feel that I can be heard and I have a voice.

Hi Mary - fellow hockey lover (although I only participate from the bleachers or the couch 🙂
Frankly you sound like you're the captain of your cancer team. That is so important. You're the one with skin in the game - so to speak.

I agree with your approach about digging deeper with your current team. Have that question about asking for a second opinion ready if you need. I know you've been getting good tips from fellow members in this related discussion:
- How do I get a Second Opinion? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/second-opinion-8/

Should Mayo Clinic specialists become a part of your cancer team, you want to also have RMCC working with you should you have some treatments locally.

Why not the prolia injections. I have never heard of it. Side effects untolerable? I am on verzenio and anastrozole for 15 months. The last 3-4 months have been rough with either diarrhea or vomiting. I call doctor and am told to stop the verzenio and anastrozole for 2-3 days then start them again. Plus was taken off zomeda treatment after nine months. It really affected my teeth. Sent to oral surgeon who told me that zomeda never leaves our body. These meds just keep me in a daze and week so that is why I was wondering about the prolix injections.

You might be a good candidate for prolia it might have less side effects with prolia than with Zometa. Is your doctor recommending prolia injections for you?

I'm sorry. I'm a bad communicator apparently. Anyhoo, Prolia is for osteoporosis. I'm sorry you are having a hard time with the cancer meds. It just convinces me to not even try it. Thank you. I will have a conversation with my oncologist on January 27. Happy New Year!

My oncologist recommended Prolia for me but I'm getting a second opinion from my orthopedic guy next week. I'm bringing my DEXA scan results. Thank you!

I got some info from my doctor. However, what the drug and research is saying doesn't really support me going on abemaciclib, but I'm not a medical doctor. I just want some feedback. So my Ki-67 is low at 2%, I have invasive lobular carcinoma with 4+nodes out of ten that were removed. I'm stage IIIA. I was not given a oncotype DX test. However, my doctor said they used a different test and my prognostic is 1B. He based his recommendation on being ER+ and HER2- and 4+ nodes. However, what I've read is that the Ki-67 is the big determiner of recurrence. Does anyone have an opinion or guidance? Or what questions I should be following up with? I am currently taking anastrozole and do not want to add another medication with so many side effects. I also did 20 cycles of chemo and 6 weeks of radiation after my lumpectomy. Thank you, Thank you so much. Oh yea, is IIIA with 4+ nodes considered early or advanced breast cancer? I'm so glad for this forum. It is helping with my sanity.

Verzenio for Estrogen Positive (HER-) Stage 3 Breast Cancer
Hi, does anyone have experience regarding being on Verzenio for Stage III Breast Cancer to reduce recurrence risk? I’m starting next week and am concerned about side effect management. Thanks!