Got my gene test back that tells me if chemo will help or not.
There were 3 possible answers: ( this is a gene test for breast cancer)
1.. treatment benefits are very likely to outweigh risks of chemo side effects
2.. chemo side effects are very likely to outweigh treatment benefits
3.It’s unclear whether the benefits of chemotherapy outweigh the risks of side effects.
and damned if I did not get the 3rd result, leaving me with no clear answer.
In fact, the results said studies show that chemo and hormone treatment would result in a 13% chance of cancer recurrence
while hormone treatment alone would result in a 16% chance.
3% difference.
and no time left to dither, it has been 60 days since mastectomy ( they got all the known cancer)
So, long afternoon and evening of discussing with Mr. dixie, weighing pros and cons of our personal situation, etc.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Keep us posted on what you decide.
treatment does not work? Is it more difficult or less so? Also wonder how good of a predictor this test is in foretelling the spread of this cancer? My Mom was diagnosed in 1971 A Long Time AGO, and had a radical mastectomy at Columbia Presbyterian in NYC and 14 years later it returned in her bone, she passed in 1989.
But the good news is that her sister was diagnosed in 1990, just after the time of my Mom's passing and she had a different treatment, she will be, without checking the calendar, 90 next year and still going strong, she is one of five sisters and all are in their late 80's, all still plugging along on their own, well except for my Mom.
My husband has Acute Myeloid Leukemia, which began with MDS and relapsed in October 2014 at his 4 year checkup from his first transplant, his second transplant began on New Year's Eve 2014. When you have to go you have to go, there is no time to waste, he was admitted on Christmas Eve to begin chemo to wipe out the remainder of his cells, this after a month long hospital stay in October/November to kill off the leukemia. His second transplant was a fractionated experimental transplant , which means you receive about 60% of the cells on the first day and then have two other days in short sequence when you receive the balance of the donated/transplanted cells. The thought is to send some cells in to pave the way and then send in reinforcements ... we'll see! All is well and recent blood tests show he is donor 
Anyway the reason I bring this up is that they have made great strides and continue to move forward in this battle against cancer, my Aunt was on Herceptin, it was a new drug not available to my Mom at the time just a year or so prior.
They are now doing a combo of half matched cells (haplo from siblings/children) in addition to cords/multiple cords to hopefully cure blood cancers, nothing we ever heard about 5 years earlier when my husband had his first matched sibling transplant.
In conclusion I will say ask the question 'what are my chances to get into remission' after this treatment? You want to go for the best treatment and not preclude any further treatment, science can a long way, we just need to be on the receiving end.
We're stepping on a ladder, we just want a chance to reach the next rung, step by step!
Wishing you well on a difficult journey, Do not be shy, but Do ask questions.
attended a local seminar about current cancer treatments. A statement caught my attention, most of us have one or more cancers (possibly several) in our body when we die, but it is all about how our immune system reacts and then how the cancer responds and then outsmarts our own immune system, that is when we run into trouble (my words)
Going along with what is going on, maybe we are taxing our immune systems too much, and it can be from environmental issues to not getting up and moving, more stress, less laughter etc. it could all play a part. They are looking more towards common denominators across a wide spectrum of cancers, one trial drug they spoke of had a positive effect across 20 different types of cancer. In some instances immunotherapy is the preferred first line treatment, foregoing traditional chemo.
All of this science is somewhat beyond my comprehension, but after relapsing in late 2014 with acute myeloid leukemia and another stem cell transplant, my husband is now on a drug which is FDA approved for liver, kidney and thyroid cancer. It is being used in an 'investigational' setting as it is already approved for other cancers, but has shown some promise against a certain gene mutation. He'll go off this drug in December, so a little concerned, has this helped, what happens when he stops this drug. They spoke of these inhibitor drugs last night, but again I cannot relate the science adequately.
All we can do is try and be informed 'consumers' of the latest advances and make the best of the situation ... get moving, laugh, reduce stress ... well that idea could have it's own comedy show! Life or death situation plus mounting bills, what could be less stressful
Speaking of studies there was some discussion of prostrate cancer, one researcher stated that was an easier cancer to study as there is so much information out there on that particular cancer, a high PSA test result should not always result in a biopsy, there are other blood tests (he mentioned five) that can be done to guide that decision. Most men die with prostrate cancer, the cancer was not what got them in the end.
A slow growing and slow spreading, while not the most pleasant revelation to hear sounds OK. Studies are proposed by those who have an interest in a particular area, one researcher just received a large grant for lung cancer, panel was 50% by gender. I do believe that as more women enter the research field, studies will be driven to cancers that more commonly affect women.
Also stated that lung cancer is still high on the list for poor outcomes, unfortunately they have not advanced significantly, believe only 2% overall survival rate over 40 years, death rate is higher than breast cancer, but there are new screening tools that can detect lung cancer earlier, CT scans for ex-smokers in addition to biomarkers in the blood.
Be vigilant, but do not drive yourself crazy, move and ... Laugh.
Google iodine and breast cancer for the stats.
TYY
TYY 
Glad to hear you are moving right along, congratulations.
