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Original Treatment Plan

Because the tumor showed to be less than 2 cm (.78 inches) and the lymph nodes did not look to be affected, my oncologist suggested weekly Taxol IV chemotherapy after the lumpectomy. It is a drug that attacks everything in your body. It kills the cancer cells, but also that which helps your body stay healthy. This is why many lose their hair while on this regimen. 


Losing your hair does not sound like fun, but getting Taxol treatments will also lower your immune system because it kills your white blood cells as well. The white blood cells attack viruses that enter your body. They help you fight viruses and other illnesses. This is the scariest of the side effects because it can lower your immune system to the point where even something simple like a cold can be serious. This is why it is important to stay away from those who are sick while going through chemo.


Taxol is administered once per week and builds up in your body during the twelve weeks it is given. This should kill whatever cancer cells are left in your body after the surgery. Because my tumor is positive for the HER2 protein, my oncologist wanted to add Herceptin to the infusions. It provides an extra insurance that the cancer cells will get killed.


Herceptin is administered every three weeks for a full year. Treating cancer is not something that is quick. It takes a long time. The hope is that the Taxol and Herceptin will get rid of all the cancer cells left after the lumpectomy, even the minuscule ones. In case that does not happen, I have chosen to follow my doctor’s suggestion and have radiation on the right breast, where the tumor is. 


Radiation therapy uses high energy beams (usually X-ray) pointed directly at the part of your body where the cancer cells are. This will kill whatever is left of the nasty cells. Today these machines are very precise. It may still kill some of the good cells the energy beams have to go through to reach the tumor, as well as the healthy cells that are near the tumor, but most of your healthy tissue is today protected from the harmful rays. 


In my case, the radiation will be given Monday through Friday for six weeks after the lumpectomy. It is suggested that someone like me, whose tumor tested positive for estrogen and progesterone, take hormone blockers for five to ten years after the surgery, chemo infusions, and radiation. This ensures there is less chance for the hormone positive cancer to return. This is the hope!

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