Is Chemotherapy right for a 65 year old woman?

Question

My mother has a breast cancer. She went through the lumptectomy surgery twice to remove cancer. The infilterating cancer was very small 0.7cm (but DCS was 2cm). The report indicated negative for the lymph nodes and margin. But HER-2NIU test was positive. Then the doctor recommended Oncotype Assay test which revealed her score of 52, considered high for aggressiveness that means 34% chance of recurrence within next 10 years.

She has to decide between radiation therapy and chemotherapy. She is very scared of drugs and its side affects including hair loss etc.
Doctor says chemotherapy should help her in this case.
She is 65 years old. Is this a good treatment for her? Is there any other alternative treatment that is equally good that we can consider?

Please help us with your knowledge.

Answer 1

Hi A-Man

There is always another way, but what are people willing to do is another question. Cancer is just another disease with the body in a toxic state level higher than other diseases. You can cure it, but one has to have an open mind and look for answers outside the medical field. Modern medicine only suppress' the symptoms to other locations in the body, it never truly heals it.

Cleansing the body is a method Ive seen done many times with success and it doesn't matter how old you are. Must remove the toxins in the blood. One strategy is detoxifying with herbs, water, and juice fasting. One must educate himself on the subjects Ive mentioned and there are plenty of good cleansing techniques out there. Here are a few websites and their programs I recommend.

“Benjamin Franklin - "The best of all medicines are rest and fasting

herbdoc.com
naturalcures.com

Best of health to both of you

Here

Answer 2

Age is not the only consideration when deciding if someone should take chemo. 65 is not really considered old these days and if mom is otherwise in good health she will probably tolerate the chemo pretty well. There are a lot of ways to manage side effects like nausea and vomiting these days and it is not as bad as some people make it out to be. On the plus side, her tumor was small and she had negative nodes, but it sounds like she is at high risk for recurrence. With her Her-2neu status, they will likely want to give her the drug Herceptin. You did not mention her ER/PR status. If this is positive as well, they will consider putting her on Tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor after she completes the chemo.

I'd say is she is otherwise healthy, she should do the chemo because she may live another 20+ years. I doubt she would want to confront a recurrence of breast cancer in the next 2,4, 7, or however many years if she chooses not to do the chemo.

Answer 3

I'm just a medical student, and I hate to give out "medical advice" on the Internet, both for legal and ethical reasons. What I can tell you is that some one with a positive her-2nu test is usually helped by chemo. However, as you've discovered, it is a balancing act between the side-effects of the chemo and the chance of recurrence.

First, be glad that your mom is doing well so far! She is lucky to have caught it so early. The next step is to a have long discussion with her doctor. Bring questions. Lots of them. Write them down. Read on the internet and in books. Find out exactly what chemo she would get, for how long, and what the common side effects are. Get all the information you want, and make sure it is explained to you in ways that you understand. Go get a second opinion if you are not clear after the above.

Adjuvant chemo has had very good results in treating breast cancer. So has radiation, and so has the combination. Only a doctor with full access to your mother's medical records can tell you the details of her case. I wish you both well with this tough situation.

Answer 4

Yes, go with chemo but also look into complimentary methods to help her. For example Maitake (espeically the 'D-Fraction' version) has been proven to help with various cancers and immune systems problems especially breast cancer. In-fact, it is in Phase II (and going to Phase 3 eventually) FDA approved trails for breast cancer patients. It helps boost NK Killer cells and the immune system in general. In Japanese tests, it reduced breast cancer by large percentages...these new 'human' trials are to prove what is already proven in animal tests.

The one used for trials is made by the American manufacturer Maitake Inc. www.maitake.com and is the 'pro' version (more concentrated). Do some research on the internet and talk to the dr. before starting (even though most American doctors get less than an hour in nutrition during med school) to make sure it's ok with them (even though there has never been any side-effects and helps with chemo).

In addition, Maitake D-Fraction is the only Beta Glucan 'supplement' that is proven to work when taken orally (everything else only works effectively when injected by IV).

Good luck to you and your mom! Mine is going through ovarian cancer right now.

Answer 5

Dealing with chemo for me was kind of like pregnancy. Everyone will tell you scare stories about how awful it was for them, how sick they were, how long labor was... but you get through it. The nausea was similar to morning sickness and I did take a lot of naps and got emotional, just like the hormonal thing during pregnancy. My 65 year old aunt just finished chemo for the second time in 9 years. She is doing great now and so am I. I celebrated my 50th birthday bald as a baby.

One good thing about loosing your hair is you get to save a lot of money at the hair dresser and when it does grow back its thicker. My sister is also a breast cancer survivor and she sent me a great T-shirt, that said "With a Body Like This, Who Needs Hair"

If you want to talk, more, please feel free to e-mail me. Also a good website is Dr. Susan Love's site. Lots of current info on latest treatments, 1st person stories....

Answer 6

Chemotherapy is a great option other than radical double mastectomy combined with chemotherapy. If you are not aggressive than you might as well say your good byes now. 65 is young these days. Many people are experiencing life all over again once they retire. The only other option is a bone marrow transplant which is a heck of a lot more invasive.

Answer 7

Being 65yrs old and taking chemo...so is my friend who has cancer in his colon, stomach, lungs, back, prostate. He's only had one treatment so far, so we'll have to see how it goes. He did not have the option of radiation as far as I know. I don't know of any alternative treatment actually, but there are things that can go along with it that would help. Diet full of anti-oxidants(green tea, lots of veggies, look into it) is good for anyone as it grabs onto free-radicals, which cause cancer, and helps to eliminate them. Also, prayer/meditation/belief in Higher Power gives peace of mind and encouragement by faith. God never gives anyone more than they can handle. Look up cancertreatmentcenter.com for more info.

Answer 8

65 is young. My grand mother gave it a go, and had a few more years before being diagnosed again (breast cancer). She then had radiation, but to no avail. She passed away of an inoperable brain tumour.

Answer 9

I'm not an Oncologist, but what does age have to do with it?? No one knows how long they will live, and at 65 she may have many good years ahead. Any chance you have to defeat cancer should be grabbed with both hands...the side effects of chemo can be
awful, but they are temporary...death is forever!

Answer 10

65 IS YOUNG SHE COULD LIVE ANOTHER 25 YEARS
I TRIED THE CHEMO BECAUSE THE DOCS SAID IT WOULD RESPOND BETTER THAN IT WOULD TO RADIATION.....
YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE SOMEONE, DON'T YOU? IT'S BEEN 6 1/2 YEARS FOR ME AND I HAD A TOTAL MASTECTOMY AND STILL TAKE TAMOXIFEN EVERY DAY BUT ALL IN ALL, I FEEL GOOD AND HAVE LIVED TO SEE 4 GRANDCHILDREN
BORN.................I KNOW SHE'S AFRAID.THAT'S OK.......
FEAR IS GOOD..........................IT MAKES YOU FEEL ALIVE.