Are Ribociclib and Alpelisib for breast cancer effective?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am 63 years old and have just found out that I have breast cancer. I will likely need to undergo a mastectomy. I have been prescribed two medications, Ribociclib and Alpelisib. I want to know if I should take the medications and wait or proceed with the mastectomy as soon as possible.

Please help me.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concerns.

Breast cancer is generally characterized by a painless lump in the breast. First, we need to perform a bilateral breast mammogram. If it appears suspicious for cancer on the mammogram, then we need to conduct a core needle biopsy of the lump, which will confirm the diagnosis of cancer.

For staging, if clinically it is stage one or two, then a chest X-ray and abdominal ultrasound are sufficient. However, if it is above stage two, then we have to perform either CECT (contrast-enhanced computed tomography) of the thorax and abdomen, along with a bone scan, or PET (positron emission tomography)-CECT.

If it is non-metastatic, you will require chemotherapy followed by surgery and again chemotherapy (a minimum of eight cycles of chemotherapy). The requirement for radiotherapy depends on the final tumor stage. Furthermore, you will require maintenance Herceptin if the HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) receptor is positive and hormonal therapy if the ER receptor (estrogen receptor) is positive. I could assist you better if you could provide all the reports.

Kindly revert in case of further queries.

Thank you.