What treatment decisions did you make with stage 1, Oncotype 34?

Hello! I was diagnosed with stage I or early stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma., estrogen +, HER2-. Given the option of either lumpectomy with radiation or mastectomy. Chose double mastectomy because the biopsy indicated grade 3 or aggressive cancer + higher Ki-67 score. Don't recall Ki-67 score but think it was between 35-50%. No lymph node involvement. Oncotype DX score was also high - 35. so chemotherapy was recommended along with an aromatase inhibitor and a CDK/inhibitor.

Because of my age (74 when I started treatment) and prior history of afib, my oncologist did not recommend the most aggressive chemotherapy protocol. Prior genetic testing revealed no breast cancer risk, but my mom developed breast cancer in her early 80s. Feel there is probably a genetic predisposition but they haven't identified it yet.

Hope you will hear from others. It's a lot of forks-in-the-road with breast cancer treatment choices. Healing thoughts being sent to you!

Hello. Stage 2 er+pr+her2- onco score 56 ki-67 93% Micrometastasis in some fatty tissue around a lymph node and one lymph node had cancer. Primary tumor was gone after 6 rounds TC chemo. Had a lumpectomy with 14 lymph nodes removed. I declined radiation. I’m NED. Taking Anastrozole and Kisqali. I didn’t want radiation for several reasons one of them being the damage it causes to healthy tissue and bones and no guarantee it won’t come back in that area. And I consider radiation a last resort. Especially since you shouldn’t radiate the same area twice.

I am male breast cancer survivor, my oncotype is 34. It was suggested I get chemo (4 rounds) plus Tamoxifen. I was stage 1, no impact to lymph nodes. I am on year 2 of tamoxifen 10 mg.
I have known many women that skipped chemo which led to cancer reoccurrence. I would speak with your oncology team on risks. Men similar to me, pursued chemo, tamoxifen and some also had radiation.

I had stage 1, lumpectomy & 5-day radiation. Pretty easy. I'm 72. I take half-dose (10 mg) of Tamoxifen. What did your oncologist recommend?

Hello! I was diagnosed with ER and PR positive, HER2 negative, Stage 1 breast cancer. My lymph nodes were clear, my Ki-67 was 30%, and my Oncotype score was 20.
I’m 45, and since younger women can have a higher risk of recurrence, we carefully reviewed the results. Based on the Oncotype score, my risk of recurrence was estimated at 6%, and the potential benefit from chemotherapy was less than 1%.
After discussing it with my oncologist, we decided not to proceed with chemotherapy and instead move forward with complete hormone blockade. I’m currently in induced menopause and taking aromatase inhibitors.

@angiemal If you have even the slightest hesitation about what direction to take, you can always get a second opinion from a different cancer center for further knowledge & peace of mind. If I were young like you (I'm 72), I would throw everything I had at this cancer & maximize my chances that it will never recur. But don't listen to me, listen to the trained oncologists! Sending best wishes to you.

@jmab I made this decision two years ago, so at this point there isn’t much more I can change. I’m at peace with it. Since then, I’ve focused every day on what’s within my control to make sure it doesn’t happen again. The rest, I’ve chosen to leave in God’s hands, trusting that He knows what’s best.

@angiemal sorry, I read it as a current situation. Yes, many lifestyle factors can certainly increase the odds of remaining cancer-free. Keep being proactive! I believe much of fate is within our own control. Sending positive thoughts to you!

Oncotype scores mean different things depending on age. Did your test indicate that chemo would not be beneficial? Some oncologists refuse to order these tests because they think they're unreliable. They look instead at the whole picture (age, cancer grade & stage, tumor size, etc) in making determination about chemo. Each of us is different.

@prarysky Did you undergo the chemotherapy? If so, could you share what it was and how it was administered?