Breast cancer prevention

hello, i've just gone thru lumpectomy and now will start radiation [tomotherapy ] from tom..could someone pl share post breast cancer treatment what is the best way to keep tabs? I had thought of yearly MRI but my surgeon said just mammo even though he knows that a mammo didn't pick up my tumor but MRI did..both were done simultaneously! he feels that MRI can give false alarms esp post surgery and then I would have to get biopsies done unnecessarily .. i'm not at all comfortable relying on mammos as i have dense breasts

@shail

I was in a similar situation. I discovered my tumor 6 months after a negative mammogram. Had a tumor and a few positive lymph nodes removed, followed by chemo and radiation. Post surgery, I alternated mammograms and MRIs every 6 months based on the oncologist's recommendation. I am now 6 years post diagnosis and follow the same regimen. I made sure my oncologist documented his screening recommendations, and now my primary provider orders them.

Who will be providing your follow-up care going forward? Will you be seeing an oncologist?

I suggest you discuss with whoever will be doing your care going forward.

@roch thanks for responding and sharing your follow up routine.
I too will get a yearly MRI and a 6 monthly ultrasound as in my case MRI picked up the lesion and then ultrasound confirmed it ..but post these two scans the doctor got a mammo done too which still did not pick up the lesion. So mammos don't work for me and that's why the surgeon insisting on yearly mammo is very surprising. He feels that post surgery MRI can give false positive results resulting in unnecessary biopsies. But I feel it's better than missing a real tumor.
Actually I just decide myself as no gynae or radiologist ever told me that I should get a MRI because of my dense breasts, but I read about it and got it done this time and discovered my tumor at an early stage. Again now my surgeon is advising a mammo as a follow up, which I don't trust at all in my case.

You might consider taking Raloxifene (brand name is Evista) which is a selective estrogen receptor modulator(SERM) used in postmenopausal women to prevent and treat osteoporosis by improving bone density, and to reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer, working like estrogen in bones but acting as an anti-estrogen in breast tissue. Like any medication it can have side effects like hot flashes, and blood clots.

@maymore similar to Tamoxifen, right?

@jmab. Yes, but with fewer side effects and specifically helps the bones! I tried low-dose Tamoxifen, but still had terrible side effects.

@maymore I started taking 10 mg Tamoxifen on Jan 1st & had a slight headache off & on, first couple of weeks, but that has lifted. I'm feeling more myself now, after almost 3 weeks. I'm hoping I can stick with it! I have 14 rescue pets & need to stick around for them. Husband would he fine but they definitely need me!

Have been a breast cancer patient for decades - much of the time it has been in remission but couple of years ago it returned in my lymph nodes and I have gotten treatment - hope it is back in remission. My big recommendation is for cancer patients and if you have a concern about family history - get your blood tested. Ask your doctor/oncologist what is your ALC lymphocyte level. Only 4.6% of patients with lymphocyte counts under 1000 were alive 4 years after surgery compared to 24% with lymphocyte counts above 1000. Many things can impact the ALC levels - age, of course cancer treatments like chemo/radiation, even COVID/long Covid. I believe our own immune system can fight off cancer cells but our survival depends on a person's NK cells/immunity health. If your doctor will not order the test - go to QUEST DIAGNOSTICS - think a test is $29. My ALC lymphocyte level was low at 1100 - soon to be retested. There are NEW immune enhancing drugs (Anktiva/BioShield)) approved for some cancers but not all/also not approved as a prophylactic - however believe a change is coming for cancer patients and prevention - there needs to be a change from treating cancer with poisons to preventing by enhancing our own immunity NK cells.