Should I add Ibrance to my current breast cancer treatment plan?

Making treatment decisions can feel overwhelming, especially when things are going well with your current plan. It's wonderful to hear about the positive scan results showing no evidence of active disease - that's truly encouraging news. The decision to add any medication to an existing treatment plan is deeply personal and depends on many factors that only your medical team fully understands. Consider discussing with your oncologist the specific benefits they see for your situation, potential side effects, and how this addition might fit into your overall treatment goals. Many people in this community have navigated similar decisions and may share their experiences and questions they found helpful to ask their doctors.

I’m on Ibrance (100 mg). No significant side effects and my cancer markers continue to drop.

Thank you for your comment..it was the side effects that are worrying me… my scans are good and I have no progression but they do want me to start this..did you start Ibrance w no progression? That’s wonderful your cancer markers continue to drop!!

Wondering if they did CTDNA to see if you have any tumor markers in your blood. I currently am NED and I also had no tumor markers in my blood from CTDNA testing. But if there was I was going to go back on ibrance for 3 months to clean up the markers. It’s an easy test. Someone comes to your home and draws the blood and it is sent into the company. I have this done every time I have a PET scan. I am 10 years out with Metastatic breast cancer.

I’m on Ibrance for close to a year now. No side effects and favorable results.

Carol—I started the Ibrance as soon as I was diagnosed a year ago (well, as soon as the genetic blood tests showed that Ibrance could be helpful).

I’ve been on Ibrance since my recurrence over 2 years ago. I’ve had genetic and recently I’ve had the tumor markers in the blood. My numbers are staying stable. I have very dry skin and my eyes are real dry from the Ibrance. I have prescription eye drops I have to use and I have watering eyes. My hair is breaking and I’m getting male pattern baldness in the front. I’m still alive. Concerned because we found the breast cancer in my stomach when I had an EGD. Oncologist didn’t seem concerned. The stomach metastasis did not show on the PET scan.

Thanks everyone for telling me your experiences I have not had that CTDNA testing I’m going to ask about it Sandra it’s awesome you are 10 years out…gives us all hope seems side effects are minimal except I’m sorry you are going thru so much Lynette .. about PET scans..tumors will not show up if they are smaller then a centimeter …when I had mine done after the biopsy, it showed nothing at all… I have always loved doing natural things and always hated medicine! Now I’m soooo thankful for modern medicine it is keeping us alive! God is good.

Carol, you could wait until you have disease progression, then, start the Ibrance. I had bone mets in most of my bones. I started on Ibrance and Letrozole for 2.5 years. Then, Ibrance with fluvestrant for 5 years. I have a PTEN mutation, none of the last 8 medications have worked (over 2 years).

I’ve been on Ibrance for about 13 months. No side effects (they did lower the dose from 125 mg to 100 because I was somewhat anemic) but otherwise, it’s doing what it’s suppose to do and I’ve been ok with it. OK also with Zometa quarterly, and monthly Fulvesterant injections.