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Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

Breast Cancer | Last Active: Jul 28 9:25am | Replies (1934)

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@kathyomaha55

This is how my oncologist explained it. I had a lumpectomy and 21 radiation treatments. She said surgery reduces the chances of it returning by 80%; radiation reduces the remaining 20% change by 50%, so now it's a 10% chance. The AI drug reduces that remaining 10% by another 50%. So now we're at a 95% chance it will not return. I hope I explained it correctly - but each treatment - reduces the chance. I hope to take it for a full 5 yrs at least. Only you can decide what risk to take. And I agree discuss this with your doctor. Not everyone has the side effects listed. And some are very livable - dry eyes & losing some hair. It's worth my life to me,. ALSO - if it returns, it will not necessarily be Breast cancer - it will come back in your Brain, Bones, Liver or Lungs. Keep that in Mind. If your doctor didn't tell you that - shame on them. Also keep in mind 85% of BC is now cured.

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Replies to "This is how my oncologist explained it. I had a lumpectomy and 21 radiation treatments. She..."

@kathyomaha55 - great explanation, clear & concise and necessary. Thanks a million.

@kathyomaha55
Just an addition to your post: I am told that that cumulative risk of recurrence, post-treatments, appears to depend on the original pathology report upon diagnosis (in particular, the TN). For example, women diagnosed with T1 cancer with zero positive lymph nodes had less than a 1% risk of distant recurrence (brain, bone, liver, lung, etc.) per year for 5 to 20 years years after diagnosis. This works out to be a cumulative risk of distant recurrence of 13 % 20 years after diagnosis.

Hormone receptors, HER2 status, and which treatments were given, also influence the statistics on recurrence. (The mind reels....)

The original cancer can return to the same breast or the other one, or elsewhere. Interestingly, if it recurs in a lung, for example, it still is considered breast cancer and is treated accordingly. Amazing....