Feeling Lucky

The good news I was praying for has come in....my Oncotype DX score was 8. What does that mean? From the website:

The Oncotype DX test is a diagnostic test to learn more about the biological activity of the specific tumor. Along with other pieces of information, the results from the Oncotype DX test can help women and their doctors make decisions about whether or not to include chemotherapy in their treatment plan. It can also help indicate how likely it is that a woman’s cancer may return in the future (distant recurrence).

The Oncotype DX test looks at a group of 21 genes within a woman’s tumor sample—16 cancer genes and 5 control genes—to see how they are expressed, or how active they are. The results of the test are reported as a quantitative Recurrence Score^® result, which is a score between 0 and 100 that correlates with the likelihood of a woman’s chances of having her cancer return, and the likelihood that she will benefit from adding chemotherapy to her hormonal therapy. (anything below 18 is considered "low risk" for reoccurence within 10 years without chemotherapy.)

The Oncotype DX test provides information in addition to standard measurements (such as tumor size, tumor grade and lymph node status) that doctors have traditionally used to estimate how likely a woman’s cancer is to return, and to help her make treatment decisions.

My score of 8 means the average rate of distant recurrence after 5 years of Tamoxifen and 5 years after that (10 yrs total) is 6% without chemotherapy, which is a very low probability, but if I'm one of the six out of 100, then that's still no good! But if any left over tumor cells don't respond well to chemotherapy, the side effects aren't worth it. The Tamoxifin is a hormonal therapy that should inhibit tumor growth systemically. Next Thursday April 15th I'm going to get a 2nd opinion from a Kaiser oncologist in Walnut Creek, and then meet with my oncologist Eva Thomas in Oakland the following day to put it all together and get a treatment plan. Radiation is a given, likely 5 times a day for 7 weeks or so, but I think my breast needs to heal from surgery before it can begin. Tamoxifen for 5 years is also a given, but I don't know when that will start.

So I'm excited to have a low Oncotype score, but I'm not ready to jump for joy until I get a second opinion, I'm hopeful, but still waiting to exhale.

The theme from last weeks dance was the NEW body... After the chrysalis is broken. I had drawn the outline of the figure a couple of weeks before while feeling jubilant and even though my body is feeling battered and bruised, and my lymph node arm is still painful, on Wednesday afternoon, I approached the figure with that theme. The spring time is about new growth and opportunity. I was imagining pure spirit coming up from the earth to rejuvenate and heal my vehicle and allow me to carry the life force in this way a few more years...and I'm feeling lucky that with your love and support, that is what will unfold. Namaste.