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Hi friends,
I had a non-metastatic stage-1 breast cancer sized 1.4 cm which was removed in January, 2022. Afterwards, I received a 5-session radiation treatment. Now I am not sure if I need to also receive a 5-year endocrine treatment (Anastrozole), balancing between the side-effect of the drug and the simple nature of my cancer case. Any thoughts or experiences on this are very much appreciated!
yds
Replies to "Hi friends, I had a non-metastatic stage-1 breast cancer sized 1.4 cm which was removed in..."
I am in a very similar situation. I had excisional biopsy for Atypical hyperplasia and was diagnosed with DCIS based on pathology of the 4-mm tumor that was removed completely in the excision. No-brainer so far. I decided to not do radiation or hormone blocker because I am 65 and neither one seems to make more than a small difference in recurrence or survival. I am having another mammogram in 6 months and if everything looks ok, I’m good to do “watchful waiting.” If I were in my 20s or 30s, I think I’d go for the most aggressive treatment. It’s not an easy decision, but everyone has to consider the risks vs. benefits for their individual selves.
I had a non-metastatic Estrogen+, Progesterone+ HerpC neg. 4 mm tumor. So estrogen suppressor prescribed. I was 72 when detected. Stopped the Anastrozole 4 months and 3 weeks ahead of 5 years.
Issue with Anastrozole is side effects and causing osteopenia & osteoporosis, suppressing insulin production & increasing blood lipids are probably most significant issues. Insist that the doctors discuss side effects in detail. And review it with a real pharmacist - MDs never know much about what they prescribe.
If you proceed with suppressors get the baseline dexa scan before starting. Then get one every year. If on medicare the oncologists will claim only every two years allowed. This is incorrect - the Md will just have to justify it which would require a bit of extra effort. Also be sure you have baseline blood lipids & blood sugar done.
Not sure about pre medicare insurance but usually MD can justify as it allows monitoring of side effects.
Hope that this is useful.
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It's a hard call. I had stage 2 hormone-positive breast cancer, with no lymph node involvement in 2017. I had a lumpectomy and radiation. I am going off anastrozole at the end of the month after taking it for 5 years. The first month I had a lot of joint pain and thought about not taking it. But with my oncologist's coaxing, I continued taking it. I take long walks, do light weight lifting, practice yoga, and take celery tablets, Vit-D, calcium, magnesium, and iron. This all seems to help with the joint pain. Anastrozole lowers your libido but not entirely. I get prolia injections for my bone health. All in all the 5 years have gone by quickly and I guess taking AI is a good insurance policy. It is luck of the draw. I've met women that didn't take the AI and were fine many years later. All the best to you.