So, I need to clarify that I went to them because from all I had read (from research papers, not the general internet) that at my age (which was 69 at the time, and postmenopausal) there had to be more than the "tried and true" tamoxifen for 5 years. Sure enough, when I went for the second opinion, the oncologist at DF suggested Tamoxifen for 2 years, the an aromatase inhibitor for 5-8 years after that. She also added Zometa for 2 years (now they suggest 3). So I have two oncologists: one here on Cape Cod (a hospital totally overwhelmed with cancer patients because of the Cape's demographic) and one at Dana Farber (who is heavily into research). I just want to make sure that I have access to the latest and greatest and I learned fast that you really have to advocate for yourself. So here's something helpful my DF oncologist told me the last time was I was there. I asked him the same question you raised: how do you know if it's cancer? His answer was simple, but very helpful. Anything (any spot) that doesn't go away, but instead gets worse, should be followed up on. Hope this helps.

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