Hi All -
First, I want to thank those of you who have walked this road, and yet still make the time to share your experiences and knowledge with those of us who are in the early stages of the journey. It is so very helpful.
Second, I'm hoping you can help again. I finished chemo in June with terrific response. Had a lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy in July. Nodes are clear; margins are close but not clear. Right now I'm sneaking in a few weeks of feeling really good!
MO and surgeon agree that the next step should be re-excision, followed by radiation, followed by another 6 mo of chemo (Xeloda). Initially I had been thinking of 2x mastectomy, but the surgeon said that based on the pathology she didn't think it was worth putting my body through the strains of the drastic surgery to achieve the same survivability results as the lump/rads/chemo approach.
I'm OK with the plan, and have finally got a complete team that I like and trust, but before I proceed with this plan (and pay for a repeat surgery), I'd really like to get a 2nd opinion from a MO who specializes in TNBC. Is proton radiation better than X-ray radiation for TNBC? Wasn't keen about another 6 mo of chemo, but OK ... is Xeloda the right choice? I've called Dana Farber, MD Anderson, etc. I'm being directed to MOs who work with breast cancer, but not who specialize in TNBC. Is there such a person, or is my quest futile, or am I not asking the right questions? I live in Maine, so Dana Farber is not very far, and it's certainly a great facility. And my son lives in Austin, so I can always justify a trip to TX :-)
Grateful for your suggestions, recommendations, etc. It's a beautiful morning in Maine; hope it's the same where you are.