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← Return to Chemo first vs Surgery first?
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Perhaps they want you to have chemo first because they know you have cancerous cells within your lymph nodes. They might want to begin chemotherapy treatment to reduce the risk of having those cells circulating throughout the body.
Also, for some of us (I was Her2+), having chemo first helps gauge how effective treatment is/was for our tumors.
Hope this helps. ♥️
Replies to "Perhaps they want you to have chemo first because they know you have cancerous cells within..."
Hello,
I thought like you when I first heard chemo first then surgery…
Mayo had a plan and I learned that it was the right plan.
It was to see how the tumors and other microscopic cancer was reacting.
After surgery…they were able to add radiation and keep with chemo and not just the immunotherapy. Lifesaving for me.
I will be a year out of surgery Wednesday March 22. A long road but cancer clear and start the survivorship program April.
Follow your doctors lead but keep informed so you understand why they are providing these plans.
Every journey is different and it isn’t always easy, but knowing you have a great team behind you helps to keep on the path.
If I can do it each of you on this connection can do it! We all are courageous!
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Mine was her2+. I went thru the same steps you described. Chemo, surgery, radiation and chemo. The initial chemo killed all the cancer in the breast. It did shrink the ones in the lymph nodes. Since there was still positive residual, I’m doing kadcyla to kill anything that would have went outside of the lymph nodes. Had the initial chemo killed everything, the plan was to give me 6 treatments of immunotherapy. Wishing you the best. It’s a tough journey but I found out once I trusted my medical team and was comfortable with the treatment plan, I am more sane.