Keep your hair on!!!
It is brilliant news for once ...the tests have confirmed that Chemo would not give me any additional benefit over that which the hormone treatments will give me and so, I am not going to have Chemo!! These curls are going nowhere!!
The type of Chemo I was due according to fully published science included a guarantee of hair loss, spending the best part of 5 months going in and out of a neutropenic (low white blood cells/immuno-supressed) state and all manner of other horrors to boot.
The test results from the US have indicated that my risk of recurrence based upon the physical characteristics and the genetic characteristics of the two tumour samples sent over there, were 12 and 14. These are low to intermediate scores and large trials are currently underway to assess the benefit of Chemo for node positive patients (like me) with scores from about 11 to 20. The results have not yet been published but there have been indications supporting the hypotheses from other trials that no marginal gain is to be had from Chemotherapy above that which would be achieved anyway from the less invasive and more targetted endocrine/hormone treatments.
Dr Braybrooke had said upfront that with any score under 15 he would not be advising chemo for me, we would have all preferred for me to have had a bit more space between my scores and 15. Scores below 11 are in the "no-brainer" territory which does place me in what is currently a published science hinterland, however on the balance of risk, irrespective of the Covid-19 risk, he said he could see no advantage in recommending that I proceed with the Chemotherapy.
So the broad-brush treatment has been avoided but there is plenty left to come about which I will update you following my next consultation ...with Dr Comins!! Unfortunately this will be by phone so he can't ask us to "come in", probably a blessing. 😜
The type of Chemo I was due according to fully published science included a guarantee of hair loss, spending the best part of 5 months going in and out of a neutropenic (low white blood cells/immuno-supressed) state and all manner of other horrors to boot.
The test results from the US have indicated that my risk of recurrence based upon the physical characteristics and the genetic characteristics of the two tumour samples sent over there, were 12 and 14. These are low to intermediate scores and large trials are currently underway to assess the benefit of Chemo for node positive patients (like me) with scores from about 11 to 20. The results have not yet been published but there have been indications supporting the hypotheses from other trials that no marginal gain is to be had from Chemotherapy above that which would be achieved anyway from the less invasive and more targetted endocrine/hormone treatments.
Dr Braybrooke had said upfront that with any score under 15 he would not be advising chemo for me, we would have all preferred for me to have had a bit more space between my scores and 15. Scores below 11 are in the "no-brainer" territory which does place me in what is currently a published science hinterland, however on the balance of risk, irrespective of the Covid-19 risk, he said he could see no advantage in recommending that I proceed with the Chemotherapy.
So the broad-brush treatment has been avoided but there is plenty left to come about which I will update you following my next consultation ...with Dr Comins!! Unfortunately this will be by phone so he can't ask us to "come in", probably a blessing. 😜
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