Breast cancer spread to lymph nodes. Would you choose chemo?

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- High-dose intravenous vitamin C, a promising multi-targeting agent in the treatment of cancer https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8557029/

I completely agree with you that IV vitamin C shows promise. It is also important for people to be aware of the history, the controversy, and the state of research, which is explained in detail in this article:
- Intravenous High-Dose Vitamin C in Cancer Therapy https://www.cancer.gov/research/key-initiatives/ras/ras-central/blog/2020/yun-cantley-vitamin-c

You're also wise to point out the difference between intravenous vs oral mode of delivery. We don't want people thinking that consuming large quantities of commercially available vitamin C supplements is treatment.

As always, I like to remind everyone that it's important to talk with your oncologist. All information shared by members on the Mayo Clinic Connect is for informational and support purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your health. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the community. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/tab/community-guidelines/

I am a 30 year survivor of hormone receptor negative invasive ductal carcinoma.
My decisions on treatment was similar to @sybille
I was 48 and had young children. I also had a second opinion at Sloan- Kettering- with the top expert in those days.
I did not want chemo, but I knew I had to- not only for myself, but for my children. I didn’t want them to have to say that mom should have done more.
I also had mastectomy.
Chemo was very tough on me, but I got all treatments on time and at full dosage. Apparently, this was also important.

Do you mind me asking what type of reconstruction you had?

DIEP-FLAP for one breast (my plastic surgeon later did a breast lift on the other side to match). It was super intense - 8 hours under and 4 days in the hospital with hourly blood vessel checks. (I'm at UCLA and a lot of residents came in, too, to check out the work).

Coming out of it I regretted it - the extra time to recover and an additional 3 month lifting restriction were awful. Plus, no one told me it's basically gastro-bypass surgery so I was eating large meals and really hurting myself because the food had no where to go.

But now that I am a year out and I know to eat smaller meals, I am sooo glad I went the hard route.

My plastic surgeon had a graph as part of his intro meeting with us which should the quality of life/happiness levels of all the different surgeries. A year or two out everyone is happy, but 5/10/15 years down the road the paths diverge. Diep flap recipients were the happiest, which was a big reason we went with it, especially given my age.

@astaingegerdm do you have any side effects from the treatments?

@polianad22 - Yes, I had side effects. Nausea, of course, treated with Zofran and Ativan, and abdominal pain. I also had an uncommon intestinal reaction. Yes, the first 24 hours were not much fun.
It gave me a reference point later in life as to how much I can handle!

How are you feeling?

I'm 81. I had 3 lymph nodes involved and had a lumpectomy , treatment that ended about 18 months ago. (I really lose track of time.) I was HER2 positive and had Herceptin along with my chemo and radiation.
I was very sick with the Taxol, but once the dose was adjusted down, I was fine. I lost my hair, but it came back quickly and it's been the best hair I've ever had. I wouldn't advise getting all the scarves and wigs. Almost everyone I talk to says they hated wearing theirs. A few scarves are fine. I wouldn't bother with cold caps either. The being bald time seems really short. I had chemo first, then radiation. My hair was already coming back during radiation.
The only real problem I have is neuropathy from the chemo in my feet and I can't drive. I decided not to do hormone treatment.
If I had hand control put on my car, I imagine I could drive but it's not worth the effort at my age and I'd have to drive out of my property on a very steep road ,8 miles from town.
I had wonderful care, and my insurance company has been great. They and the cancer society pay for the travel to my appointments.
Two weeks ago, I had 3 MRI's and a PT scan to make sure my cancer hasn't spread because my hip was hurting. All that turned up was some arthritis.

I also was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinomas with at least three lymph nodes involved. The tumor was large and had gone through the epidermis. I had strong concerns about chemo and what was the best treatment for me. My oncologist ordered genetic testing of my biopsy to get some answers. The results showed a 3% gain from chemo and my oncologist clearly said the risks were greater than the benefit.

My plan was to take anastrozole for 6 months in the hopes of shrinking my tumor and lymph node involvement. After 6 months, it has reduced my tumor/involvement by a third which made my oncologist happy. I had a lumpectomy and all my lymph nodes removed in May. I had 37 sessions of regular radiation and 5 boosts that started in June. All tests indicated that the cancer was gone. I had a mammogram and PET scan in December and all was clear. I am at a high risk of reoccurrence due to tumor size, lymph node involvement, and KI 67 score from my genetic testing. I am taking anastrozole daily and taking Verzenio twice a day. I am taking physical therapy (range of motion), have seen a nutritionist for a healthy diet, and continuing to live my life. I have had set backs, but I expected that and deal with things as they come.

If you haven’t had genetic testing done on your biopsy, I strongly suggest it. I personally wouldn’t make any major treatment options without having this valuable information to assist.