Triple Negative survival!!!!

[stressedx3]

Hello, my name is Connie. I am 51 and was diagnosed earlier in the year with Invasive Ductal Cancer that is Triple Negative. I have had a lumpectomy, 4 rounds of Adiamycin, and 4 rounds of Cytoxan/Taxol, double mastectomy, and 33 rounds of radiation. They found out before I started chemo that my cancer was metastatic in three of my lymph nodes, but they were not under my arms. They were in my neck, behind breast bone, and by my heart. Apparently, I was considered clear after my mastectomy. I am still worried though since TNBC is the fastest spreading and the hardest to get rid of. I have read that there is only a 14% survival rate for a 5 year period. So should I start getting my funeral arrangements???? I have three sons and happily married for 30 years. I have no grandchildren, but would love to see or have one some day. God is my source of being and I know He can do miracles, but does anyone know of anyone that has survived this???

[Rhwright12]

Hi stressedx3!

Don't stress the stats that our out there! Some are very out dated. By out dated I mean more than 5 years. Things are really changing with new medications all the time. There was someone on here the other day diagnosed in 1999.

Enjoy being in the clear for now. And educate yourself on good nutrition for cancer patients, exercise all u can, and get rid of refined sugar. Look up Stevia as a replacement for sugar.

And most importantly yes God can do miracles. Had four churches praying for me. And now I'm back to normal. But praying for continued health.

Have a Merry Christmas! And blessings for many years to come...

-Heather

[LonPoPo]

Dear Stressed,

I, too, have triple negative breast cancer, metastasis to my bones. So glad that your doctors considered you cleared after your mastectomy. You statistics about TNBC survival are way out of date. There are many chemo to help prolong life as well as many good clinical trials targeted for TNBC.

I have 2 1/2 year old and 4 month old granddaughters and expect to be part of their lives for a long time.

My oncologist, one of the best in NYC, tells me I can expect to live for many years. I believe her. I also believe that because research on TNBC has grown so much in the last few years that the prognosis will look much better very soon. So, please, do not despair.

Happy holidays to you and your family.

Stephanie AKA LonPoPo

[Mariannem]

I would find a good integrative medicine oncologist so you can start to take appropriate supplements. Agree with others below need to change diet to more vegan if you have not. Need to decrease/eliminate sugar if you have not already. Then finally exercise, exercise, exercise. Make changes slowly, so you can be successful with the changes. Good news for you-lots of research being done with triple negative breast cancer. Triple negative breast cancer appears to respond to immune therapy treatment-which is good. This may be an option in the future if needed. I have beat the statistics so far.

[RLN-overcomer]

Greetings Sister/Warrior /Over-comer Connie I was misdiagnosed in 2006, and in 2007 when I now had not one but two visible lumps ,where the cancer metastasized, the original one on my breast and now a second one under my arm. The lymph node dissection showed 10 of the 12 removed were cancer.I thought from my research this doesn't look good.I wasn't saddened for myself, but how would I tell my family and friends. I didn't cry, but I thought to myself, you have had an amazing blessed life.No one can live forever in this physical body.MY oncology doctor said I would be dead in around a year, even with aggressive treatment. Well Doctor/God has kept me here 9 years with no cancer in this body as per my last blood test and scans. Don't worry. Worry is fear and, fear is the absence of faith. Pray and count your blessings. Keep positive people around you and, keep positive thoughts in your heart and mind.Merry Christmas to you, your loved ones, and all who are touched by this dreadful ailment, and I pray for a Healthy and Happy New Year.God's speed for super natural restoration and healing Amen!

[Hidden]

I don't blame you for feeling stressed out. It's an unfortunate side effect of our diagnosis. You may be able to radiate the lymph nodes, with the possible exception of the one near your heart. I used a combination of systemic therapy and local procedures to eradicate two tumors in my left lung (surgery and radiofrequency ablation, or RFA. Radiation is also a local procedure). My lung has been clear of metastatic disease since 2008.

Dr. Stephen Chmura of U Chicago is conducting a clinical trial where half the patients are randomly assigned only to chemotherapy, or chemotherapy and either surgery or radiation, in order to show whether local procedures and systemic therapy are helpful in keeping our cancer stable. In the meantime, my oncologist agreed to use them in 2007 and 2008.

clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show...

You can also take a look at the TNBC website:

tnbcfoundation.org

I have HER2+ MBC and get an infusion of Herceptin every three weeks for my subtype, but several women in our support group here can help out with their own experiences with TNBC.

HER2+ is also an aggressive form of breast cancer, and we now have a few targeted drugs. I know that scientists are working very hard on that for TNBC.