Should I Skip AC Treatment and Go Straight to Surgery for TNBC?

I have read that the AC treatment will shrink the tumor. If it can shrink my tumor more than it has already, I will definitely do the additional treatment every three weeks for an additional 12 weeks. I also am doing 12 weeks of taxol and carbonated with keytruda every three weeks. So far I have had minimal side effects and I have complete faith in my oncology team. My husband and I question the team about ALL the treatments that I receive. My tumor was 2.9 by 3.2 by 3.2. So if I can reduce it to a manageable size that I won’t have to have a mastectomy I will continue my treatment as scheduled. As far as the side effects, your doctor has to inform you of ALL the side effects. When I first started, I thought that I would be unable to function if I got the side effects listed. But I have Faith in God and asked that He lead me gently through this journey.

I have Stage 1B TNBC 10 mm. Has lumpectomy & 5 nodes removed . All margins clear and no node involvement . Will be doing 4 rounds of AC and 4 rounds of taxol . I had to have an EKG and Echocardiogram to make sure heart is ok for the AC and was told I would have another Echo during treatment to make sure heart is still good . Also will get Neulasta the day after my first infusion to keep white blood cells up . I know this is going to be hard but I’m feeling pretty good about my treatment plan 🙏🙏.. Will keep you posted as to side effects .

It’s a difficult decision. I went through AC-T surgery, radiation and subsequent capecitabine. Stage II TNBC left side (important if one needs radiation). The AC part is very strong. I noticed during it that my heart rate went very high at times (I walked 4-5 miles a day during treatment which I think helped). Radiation for left breast cancer people involves breathing in a tube to create the most separation between cancer and heart (I’ve heard sometimes right breasted cancer patients may also need to use the breathing tube). My cardiologist in comparing prior echo and post treatment echo indicate told me I now have right heart failure. Doesn’t prescribe any subsequent treatment. No medicine no curtailing of activities. 🤷🏻‍♀️. Both my medical and radiation oncologists looked at results and are puzzled by his diagnosis so I have a second opinion (cardiologist) coming up. Honestly I feel the radiation was way worse than the AC-T… the breathing tube seems to create very minimal separation. I will say, AC is very strong and really shrunk the mass a great deal. I don’t have any regrets

I've decided to do the AC to increase my chances of no reoccurrence. Not looking forward it, but my friends and family are very supportive of it. I'm in awe of you Donna! I can barely make 1 mile right now. My muscles are so exhausted and I'm so out of breath. I envy your ability to exercise.

😊 You will do fine with the AC. Just try to stay ‘ahead’ of the symptoms. I found it to be a gastrointestinal type of chemo with my body. The taxol and capecitabine/xeloda affected more ‘nerves’ (like neuropathy). With AC the infusion nurses said to take the nausea med (besides what is given in the iv), before bed on day of infusion and following day until you find out how your body tolerated it. Helped me out alot. Re the walking.. I have a Frenchie who kept looking at me like… get up and let’s walk! 😊🐶… it’s weird how these drugs can affect everyone’s body differently. It IS a rather harsh thing to go through physically, mentally and emotionally… even spiritually. Keep us posted. Rooting for you!

I have TNBC stage 1, had surgery, refused chemo and am doing radiation for 4 weeks. I was told I would see the dr every Monday after my treatment. Instead they send to one of the PA,s and I’m so unhappy. I finished 3 weeks and haven’t gone back.

I had almost the same size tumor with TNCB stage 3. Could only take half of the lighter doses of chemo, carboplatinum and keytruda. I had to stop all medications because of heart failure. I cannot take keytruda either now because of my auto-immune. They decided to take me straight to surgery for a lumpectomy with no node involvement I’ve been off everything now for three months and doing okay so far.

This sounds like a challenging decision to navigate, especially when weighing the potential benefits of completing treatment against possible side effects. Many patients in similar situations have found it helpful to seek a second opinion from another oncologist or to ask their current doctor more specific questions about their individual risk factors and prognosis. The community here has valuable experiences to share, so hopefully others who have faced similar treatment decisions will chime in with their perspectives to help inform your choice.