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Some BC patients take hormone inhibitors for 5 years usually, why 5 years?From what I have read so far, breast cancer comes back after 5y?

A MyBCTeam Member asked a question 💭
Gurnee, IL
April 9
 · 
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A MyBCTeam Member

There is test called Breast Cancer Index. The surgical tumor is tested to determine if there is a benefit to continue for another 5 years.

April 9
MyBCTeam

Why do some breast cancer patients take hormone inhibitors for 5 years?

Hormone therapy is typically taken for at least five years after surgery because this is when the risk of breast cancer recurrence is highest. About 50 percent of breast cancer recurrences happen within the first five years after diagnosis, with the Show Full Answer

Why do some breast cancer patients take hormone inhibitors for 5 years?

Hormone therapy is typically taken for at least five years after surgery because this is when the risk of breast cancer recurrence is highest. About 50 percent of breast cancer recurrences happen within the first five years after diagnosis, with the risk being greatest in the first two years and then steadily declining.

Taking hormone therapy for five years helps reduce the risk of the cancer returning during this critical period. The treatment works by blocking estrogen from fueling hormone receptor-positive breast cancer cells.

However, it's important to understand that breast cancer can come back even after five years. Some people, especially those with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, face a higher risk of late recurrence—meaning the cancer returns 10 or more years after finishing treatment. Recurrence has been documented up to 32 years after the original diagnosis.

For people at high risk of late recurrence, doctors may recommend continuing hormone therapy beyond five years, sometimes up to 10 years. Your cancer care team will consider factors like:

* Lymph node involvement
* Tumor size
* Hormone receptor status
* Your individual risk profile

Your doctor can help you weigh the benefits of extended therapy against potential side effects to determine the best plan for your situation.

April 9
A MyBCTeam Member

@A MyBCTeam Member....Thanks. Good luck with the Tamoxifen. All the best to you as well ❤️

April 17
A MyBCTeam Member

@A MyBCTeam Member.....Thanks. First breast cancer diagnosis was February 2017 and second diagnosis was August 2024. I originally had a double mastectomy. My recurrence risk was low and I did not have chemo or radiation. Since I was premenopausal I was offered Tamoxifen, but refused to to take it because I was high risk for blood clots ever since my 20s. I was 50 at original diagnosis. I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2019 which was also hormone positive. Neither my OBG or breast cancer oncologists suggested I take an aromatase inhibitor after the hysterectomy, which they should have done. For that, and other reasons, both of them are no longer my oncologists. Since the 2nd breast cancer is stage 3C, hormone positive, and aggressive I will be on Letrozole/AIs for the rest of my life and am taking the CDK inhibitor Ibrance for 3 years.

April 12
A MyBCTeam Member

Based on the various characteristics of a woman's cancer in addition to being hormone positive, women are typically prescribed AIs to reduce their hormone levels for 5-10 years. If you're really high risk for cancer returning, which I am after a 2nd breast cancer diagnosis that's an aggressive stage 3C, you can be prescribed AIs for the rest of your life so your hormone levels never increase again so they can't feed and fuel the growth of new cancer cells. Once the hormones are allowed to exist again a woman's risk of cancer coming back can increase. The hope is that 5-10 years of AIs will eliminate or greatly reduce that risk for the majority of women with hormone positive breast cancer.

April 9

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