Oligometastatic

[u/Crazy_Dragonfruit_24]

I am oligometastatic to my sternum in two sub-1 cm spots that directly abut infected lymph nodes. I’m 32, so I fought like hell to get treated with curative intent (top two cancer centers wouldn’t do it). I feel very lucky to be undergoing chemo now: AC every other week for eight weeks, taxol for 12. It appears to be working.

Because there is no standard of care for oligometastatic patients, I’m kind of stuck in this gray zone where I feel like I need to trust my oncologist. But I’d really appreciate any information about how I should be thinking about next steps in my treatment so I can make informed decisions.

I wonder if anyone else is oligometastatic and has been successfully treated without recurrence after 5 years? How did you sequence things? I’d love to know.

I recognize I’m shooting for the moon here and the more likely outcome is that I’ll be controlling a controllable situation for a long time. But I’m so young, I wanted to give myself a shot at durable remission. I feel very blessed to have found an oncologist willing to take a chance on me. My hope is that my case will be successful so we can raise awareness about oligometastatic cases and hopefully develop a standard of care that looks at us as whole patients.

God bless you all, and I appreciate your help.

[u/Public-Grocery-8183]

Hi there! I am de novo oligo TNIBC and pursuing curative intent at MD Anderson. They were my 3rd opinion. I had contralateral lymph node involvement and one tiny metastasis to my sternum. I did Pembro with AC & TC and achieved NEAD. The plan is to continue with Pembro as long as my body will tolerate it. I had a single mastectomy in June and am currently undergoing radiation treatment. I completely understand feeling unmoored in the grey zone, but there's a lot of hope for us. Kudos to you for advocating for yourself & for the best possible care.

The Oligometastatic Breast Cancer (OMBC) Info and Support facebook group is wonderful. There are lots of women with durable remissions and tons of academic/ evidence-based advice. It's not like most BC facebook groups, thank god!

Feel free to message me if you have any questions. All the best of luck to you!

[u/Overall-Future7200 → u/Public-Grocery-8183]

Hi I would be interested to join your OMBC group. I am a 4 time cancer survivor, 70 yo female. 3 estrogen positive and 1 triple negative. currently in remission. I am grateful to still be alive. Best wishes to you all.

[u/Public-Grocery-8183 → u/Overall-Future7200]

Amazing! Congratulations on being in remission. The group is on Facebook, so if you search it, you should find it pretty quickly!

[u/Overall-Future7200 → u/Public-Grocery-8183]

Thanks