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April 3
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Breast Cancer Treatment Side Effects: Long- and Short-Term Effects Read Article...
A MyBCTeam Member

I was stage 1A when originally diagnosed in 2017 with no lymph node involvement. I had a double mastectomy. My odds of recurrence were low so I didn't have chemo, radiation, or take any drugs. I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2019 and had a hysterectomy and radiation. In 2021 the endometrial cancer came back. I had chemo which didn't kill it and then had radiation which did kill the endometrial cancer. I started having PET scans every 3 months to monitor for cancer returns. The endometrial cancer came back 2 more times and was discovered by the PET scans and killed off with radiation. Meanwhile I kept having PET scans every 3 months. My May 2024 PET scan was clear. My August 2024 PET scan showed that I had breast cancer for a second time. In 3 months I went from clear to a stage 3C aggressive breast cancer with 16 of 18 lymph nodes that were removed being positive for cancer. This time I've had surgery, chemo, radiation and I'm now taking an aromatase inhibitor for the rest of my life and a CDK inhibitor for the next 3 years to hopefully prevent a 3rd round of breast cancer. My 5 year odds of cancer returning are 50% without the drugs and 30% with the drugs. It can be a hard question to ask, but talk to your oncologist and ask what your 5 year recurrence odds and your 5 year survival odds are with and without whatever treatments have been recommended to you based on your personal cancer characteristics.

April 5
A MyBCTeam Member

I had stage 1 in 2016. I did no treatment beside a lumpectomy. Cancer returned in opposite breast in 2024. I had not had a mamo since 2020. It returned as stage 3. If you monitor it closely it should never get to the stage im at, ask for Natera testing every 6 month and better yet every three month. Change diet and lifestyle (i smoked) and you should be fine.

April 3
MyBCTeam

What is the recurrence rate for a stage 1A, 18mm tumor with no lymph node or blood vessel involvement?

Having a smaller tumor (under 2 cm) with no lymph node involvement are both positive factors that generally lower your risk of recurrence. When cancer hasn't spread to the lymph nodes, the risk of recurrence is typically Show Full Answer

What is the recurrence rate for a stage 1A, 18mm tumor with no lymph node or blood vessel involvement?

Having a smaller tumor (under 2 cm) with no lymph node involvement are both positive factors that generally lower your risk of recurrence. When cancer hasn't spread to the lymph nodes, the risk of recurrence is typically lower.

However, the specific recurrence rate depends on several other important factors:

* Your breast cancer subtype (hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive, or triple-negative)
* Your age at diagnosis
* Whether surgical margins were clear
* The grade of the tumor (how fast the cells are growing)

For example, hormone receptor-positive breast cancers tend to have lower recurrence rates but can recur later, while triple-negative breast cancer has higher early recurrence rates but is less likely to return after the first few years.

Your oncologist can provide the most accurate estimate of your personal recurrence risk by considering all these factors together. They may also recommend genomic testing, which looks at specific genes in your cancer cells to better predict your individual risk and guide treatment decisions.

The absence of lymphovascular invasion (no cancer in blood or lymph vessels) is another encouraging sign that reduces the likelihood of cancer spreading.

April 3
A MyBCTeam Member

Thank you for your reply

April 5
A MyBCTeam Member

Thanks for the infor

April 3

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