Patient: Description of condition (onset, main symptoms, hospital visited, etc.): The patient is female, 66 years old, and was found to have invasive ductal carcinoma in her left breast in 2009. She is now taking oral triamcinolone until now. In addition, I am also taking some medications for wind heart disease, which I have been taking for years, such as digoxin, captopril, and pentoxifylline tablets. I started to take triamcinolone in May 2009. The liver function became abnormal after 4 times of chemotherapy, and the transaminases have been elevated until now, with high and low levels. Could you please tell me if her elevated transaminases are related to triamcinolone acetonide? All other liver functions are normal. Before the radical mastectomy, her liver function was normal. Is this disease suitable for taking herbal medicine? If I take Chinese medicine, should I continue to take triamcinolone acetonide? In addition, I’ll send you her immunohistochemistry and liver function test results, please take a look at them. Li Yong, Department of Oncology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Li Yong, Department of Oncology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Hello.
According to your description, it belongs to the type with better prognosis, postmenopausal, PR positive, no metastasis in lymph nodes, however HER2 is ++, may have poor prognosis, suggest to check HER2 by FISH method.
If there is no other reason, consider taking triamcinolone acetonide. Generally, triamcinolone acetonide needs to be taken for 5 years, and if you are worried about side effects, you can consider taking it for 3 years and then switch to aromatase inhibitors for 2 years, such as letrozole, which has relatively few side effects.
You can take Chinese medicine, which can help protect the liver and reduce reactions.
Patient: Thank you for your reply. Once again, I would like to ask you, HER2 is double plus, does it mean the prognosis is easy to metastasize? Also, can I take Chinese medicine to get rid of the toxicity of chemotherapy? Thank you very much.
Li Yong, Department of Oncology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Hello.
The immunohistochemistry result of HER+++ has a poor prognosis, and the two ++ are in the middle. However, immunohistochemistry result ++ is a difficult result to judge, it is better to use FISH method to test again, if positive, it indicates poor prognosis, negative prognosis is good.
Taking Chinese medicine can reduce the toxic side effects of chemotherapy.
Patient: Hello, Director, reply received, thank you. The last question I want to ask you is, I’m sorry, she had her last chemotherapy in November last year, and it’s been more than six months since she finished chemotherapy. Another thing is, what does prognosis mean, is it the recovery after the surgery or something else? I am really sorry to always bother you, this patient is my mother, you can thank you on behalf of my mother and my whole family.
Li Yong, Department of Oncology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Hello.
It is not too late to take Chinese medicine, because Chinese medicine is based on the overall identification of the patient’s physique, and try to adjust the body to a balanced state. Prescribing Chinese medicine requires seeing the patient, looking, smelling, and prescribing Chinese medicine.
The prognosis refers to whether the tumor is easy to recur and whether it is easy to treat, and the ultimate response is the length of survival period.
Patient: Reply received. I am sorry to trouble the director many times, thank you very much.
Li Yong, Department of Oncology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Hope it can help you.
Patient: Thank you very much.