Metastatic breast cancer: Anyone else?

Welcome, @miles5513. That is good news that the cancer in your liver is reduced. Have you talked with your oncologist about the goal of chemotherapy and how long you will take it?

My oncologist suspended chemotherapy because when blood work came back my liver enzymes were high. I am only prescribed a Keytruda drip every 21 days. I pray Keytruda destroys the cancer cells in my liver.

I see my oncologist on Nov 8th to discuss treatment.
It’s such an odd feeling knowing I have Mets but feeling relief that it is not worse. Such a mixed bag..

Hello,
I have ER/PR+, HER2- with mets to bones. I am on abemaciclib (verzenio) and Anastrazole.
They also give me monthly Zometa infusion (for bones) and a Zoladex shot (to shut down ovaries).

I am curious about when they do a surgery. How do the dr's decide if one needs surgery in a metastatic scenario?

My cancer was showing in 2 lymph nodes in what’s called portahypatic area from a pet scan in August. In a group of blood vessels near but not in the liver. Originally they thought this was in the liver but after two incomplete endoscopic ultrasound biopsies (showing malignancy but not enough details for path report) they decided to do laparoscopic biopsy where they surgically removed both lymph nodes. With this surgery they were able to be more detailed with path report showing originating from breast cancer back in 2013. They also took out a small biopsy of liver which came back benign, no cancer in liver.
I have been going back and forth for 4 months trying to get a definitive answer to all of this. My metastisis has presented in a not so recognizable place but my surgeon said cancer can return to anywhere in your body. I have stopped spinning my wheels trying to figure out how this happened. The four months of tests, procedures, biopsies drained me mentally with the not knowing. Not good for my emotional and mental health. Ironically I have never had any symptoms or blood work that there was a problem except for two tumor markers that were kinda iffy. These lymph nodes were found accidentally when I went to the ER for a stomach bug back in April and they did an ultrasound which showed the lymph nod s needing follow up. (The stomach bug cleared up with meds).
I will need treatment, chemo, etc of some kind.. I see my medical oncologist on Nov 8th..
My original BC was nine years ago.. invasive lobular casrcinoma

I am on traditional Medicare with a supplement through AARP. I also have Medicare RX coverage. But how does anyone afford the drugs you have to be on for metastatic breast cancer. I know I can get an Aromatase Inhibitor for cheap through Optum RX (mail delivery) but the other drugs like Ibrance, etc seem so high I won’t be able to afford even with insurance. Any insight? I live on Social Security and a very small retirement. I just break even every month.

Most U.S.-based drug manufacturers have program to help make their products affordable or free to patients who need them. This is not pure goodwill on their part but mostly part of a quid pro quo with the government to protect myriad tax breaks for amortizing 'research and design' and other non-material assets. And tax-payers paying for a lot of testing they the companies benefit from.

Find out the drugs you'll be needing and contact each company directly for starters and go from there.

We taxpayers pay for a lot of pharmaceutical corporate 'tax benefits' to covet their tax loopholes so don't be shy about researching every economic break available. Also, if you hit a roadblock (maybe a drug from a non-U.S. manufacturer that may not have the same programs, though most do), ask your doctor if there is an equally-effective substitute.

I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer now is in liver. I was on chemo, oncologist suspended Chemo as Blood work came back with high liver enzymes. Now I am on Keytruda, 1 time every 3 weeks. At this time, 10/30/22, I won't know how Keytruda is working until I get a PET Scan which is coming up. Bemar/WI

What injections are you getting for your your MBC? I, too, have MBC which is in my liver. Am getting Keytruda drip every 21 days. Have a PET Scan coming up. Please reply the name of your injections & how often do you get them? Thank you Miles5513

If you have this conversation with your doctor, there might be resources to help you with this. Cancer centers frequently have someone on staff that help you get signed up for a program or a grant. Also our doctor is very good at looking at alternative deliveries of medicine. In clinic shots, opposed to orals, if it means getting it paid for. It is truly crazy that an infusion or in clinic injection has a copay of 20.00 or 40.00, but if you take a pill at home it is frequently not covered or has a ridiculous co pay in the thousands. My husbands two chemo pills together add up to $35,000 per month. If they weren’t covered he would have been gone years ago. Is your oncologist part of a larger cancer center? Are you close enough to be comfortable getting regular injections or infusions?