After the Oncologist

We are here in LA seeing two doctors, an oncologist and a surgeon. We're just back from the first one and liked what we heard. Tomorrow we see the surgeon.

- We would have received the same treatment up to this point if we had been using the LA doctor since day 1. So no problems with the treatment to date.
- He would recommend the more agressive Arimadex/remove ovaries treatment after the current chemo and radiation. Tamoxifin he made a second pick.
- He wouldn't go with the Herceptin at the same time as Arimadex as there's no studies to support that it makes any difference. (Carolin's tumor was HER2 positive so herceptin had been suggested as a controversial route).
- As for flax seed or any other dietary "cures" he said to try them if we wanted. It wouldn't hurt anything but there wasn't any proof for any of them.
- 50/50 chance of reoccurence, he says. He agrees that reoccuring breast cancer is incurable, but lots of advances are being made so don't give up if it shows up again.
- Small chance of reoccurence in the first year. Most chance of reoccurence in years 2 and 3. After year three the chances of it not reoccuring if you've made it that far, go way up.

We'll write more about the whole thing after we see Dr. West tomorrow.