I met with my oncologist this morning. I've been going over the ins and outs of various treatment options in preparation for this meeting, so I had a good idea what to expect. He invited me to participate in a clinical trial, but if I do, I have to decide to do so this weekend. It's for the Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Assay. I was already very interested in the test because it evidently helps determine who will benefit most from chemotherapy. I had no idea the test would be available to me, but it is available whether I decide to participate in the trial or not. The test uses your own tissue to come up with a score which indicates the likelihood of cancer recurrence. It's a highly regarded test.
The trial involves three groups: those who score 11 or less receive hormonal treatment alone (tamoxifen, for instance); those who score between 11 and 25 are randomly assigned to receive either hormone therapy or chemo- plus hormone therapy; and those scoring 25 or more receive hormone and chemotherapy.
He was able to give me some statistical information about my cancer (from Adjuvant!.com) to help me to decide what to do. I will also be researching the Oncotype DX test further and reading whatever I can get my hands on. Wish me luck as I sort all this out.
No comments:
Post a Comment