CANCER IS CURED ???????????

My onc made me so mad when I finished a year and a half of Herceptin and said "You are perfectly healthy now, your troubles are over"!! I hate it when they make claims like this! My cancer is HER2 and with 9 positive lymph nodes, one with a 2cm tumor, I have a high possibility of recurrence. Basically, I learned this myself on line. I feel like telling the onc that I'm a big girl and can handle it lol. I also have to take Tamoxifen for 5-10 years and am still seeing the surgeon every 3 months, and getting CT scans every 6 months. But I am perfectly happy with my progress because I have made a painful realization. My life will never be the same as it was before. I will always be living under the shadow of recurrence. I recently raced in a 5K Race for the Cure, and one of the speakers in her 40s introduced herself saying "My name is ---- and I am 7 years old". She meant that her life began upon diagnosis. I got emotional about that because I feel the same. Having cancer has made me love my life so much. Besides, everybody is walking under the shadow of death and they just don't know about illness like we do! So I suggest letting a lot of what the doctors say go in one ear and out the other and just use common sense. Take your meds, eat right, do your doctor visits/tests, exercise, get enough sunshine, get enough sleep, have fun and the rest is out of your hands...Goodluck, Anna  (P.S. If I live to be 80, I don't want to look back and see that I spent 10-20 years worrying about something that never happened!!)

Some cancers can say that after 5 years have passed, they can consider themselves cured.  

Breast Cancer does not have that assurance, you can still become stage 4 (meaning it is in an other organ (liver, lungs, bones, and etc.) up to at least 30+ years.  Our own CypressCynthia had her cancer (stage 4) return after 22 years.  If it returns in your breast, you remain the stage you were diagnosed.  You are not stage 4.

There isn't anything you can do about it, no change of diet and etc. will promise that it won't return.  Doesn't matter if your stage 0 to stage 3.  30% of women and men will have their cancer return.  There is no cure for stage 4.  

Do remember that 70% never have it return.  Hope for the best.

Doris

starstream said:

70% chance of NO RETURNING CANCER

Thank you for giving us this hopeful statistic....where did it come from, if i may ask?

 

I think I first read it on one of the American Cancer Society sites, and on a metavivor site (it is a site for stage iv). I had 2 oncos. Mine changed from the University to private practice. While he was making the move, I was treated by a female onco who said I was overtreated, that I never should have had a mastectomy or chemo. My breast surgeon reccommended the mast when she took thee tumor out in a surgical biopsy with greater margins than normal and there was an area that looked clean, but when sent to pathology, was cancerous. Because my onco felt my bc was HRT induced, they both felt that mast and chemo were needed. He told me when I finished chemo, I was cancer free, but that there was no cure and bcuz it was HRT induced, he felt it was more of a when than an if. That the longer I was cancer free, the greater chance I had of it not coming back. In in 9/2010 it was back! It was in my bones and skin, pelvic, lumbar spine, but also in my clavicals, ribs, scalp, cervical and thorasic spine and in both upper thigh bones. I had clean scans 11/2009, clean bloodwork 5/2010. I was only on Tamoxefin for 8-9months in 2002/03 it became toxic to my system and there weren't other options. I tried it again i 2010/11 it only took 5 months to become toxic. I am so glad now that we have Arimadex, Femara and Aromasin. I couldnt terte Femara/Arimadex, but thankfully, I have very minimal se on Aromasin and my tumor markes have been declining. I have some new tumor growth, but it has slowed the growth! They keep you on the hormone blockers even when you are cancer cree to tey and block< any sneaky cells that may have hid or laid dorment during orig treatment. If the tumors are Er+, pr+, or her-2+. by taking hormone blockers, or being on herceptin, the chances of hormones or herceptin feeding possible tumors or cells multiplying (if left behind), becomes less and less. I have a friend here who has been on Herceptin for over 4 years now. Her heart is still testing good, and she has remained cancer free. She was dx stage iv at the onset with a 5cm liver tumor. They did chemo and herceptin to shrink it so they could operate to remove ot. It was gone with the chemo/herceptin and Tamoxifen. She had a hyzterectomy after 3 yrs of Tamoxifen, is now on Aremidex and Herceptin, and is still cancer free. So they keep you on these meds to try and keep the cancer from ever coming back!

RE said:

Good questions

I am 7 years out and I see my onc every 6 months.  When I was 9 years out I saw him every 6 months.  I asked him about the golden 5 year mark and he said "You can never say women are cured of the disease",  He said "after 10 years the ration or a recurrence is on the edge of about 1 to 2 percent risk". 

 I asked him what does the 5 year mark mean, some folks think it means they are okay...I do not, how do you view it....he said..."5 years got engrained because it is a stat reporting point for cancers, National reporting...they report at 5 years, 10 years, 15 years intervals...that is how they keep the stats.  With bc the main risk is about a 10 year risk factor beyond which is about a 1 to 2 percent risk.  Colon cancer is about 5 years,rectal is about 7, different cancers have different times to them based on their behavior." 

 He then reiterated that " with bc because of the fact you can never say a woman is cured no matter how many years it is you never stop the follow ups you keep on top of things.  You can get relaxed but you keep on top of it!"

 So what I got from my conversation with him is that we are never 'CURED" and that it is vitally important to keep on top of our health in ref. to bc and that we should be seen and have regular tests done, blood work markers, sed rate etc and should something seem odd then perhaps the old MRI, CT or Pet scan.  Hope this helps.

Excellent subject ... 

Lilly9 said:

Cured

I am new to the Board.   I joined today because I am going through a period of uncertainty regarding being "cured"   Then I saw this thread.   I am 18 months from my diagnosis.  I had 8 rounds of chemo, followed by a double mastectomy with lymph nodes on the right side.  That was followed up with 34 radiation treatments.  I have since had my permanent implants put in.   But I can't shake this "feeling".  The Drs say I'm doing great yet I am still scared that they are missing something.   I have not had any additional scans;  Bloodwork only.   I see my oncologist next month.   Should I insist on scans or other testing?  How do you ever know what ache or pain is the one you need to be concerned about?

It really depends on your individual type of cancer. Maybe yours was caught extremely early and the doctors don't feel you need scans. I wouldn't worry about every ache as cancer usually doesn't hurt much at first. You can't waste your life worrying constantly. However, if you feel in your gut that something may be wrong and your feelings are dismissed, I would not hesitate to get a second opinion. I think we all worry about recurrence. You just can't let the fear completely take over. Keep posting... Best, Anna

Lilly9 said:

I had a Mammogram in June of

I had a Mammogram in June of 2012 that was clear.  My cancer was found in Jan 2013 and my tumor was 8.5 cm and in the lymph nodes.  It's a very invasive cancer - ductal carcinoma.  

I have experienced a lot of joint pain  - it started with the Nulasta shots that I had to take starting with my 2nd round of chemo.  It's never gone completely away.   I am taking Letrazole now - Dr says I will take it for 5-10 yrs.   But lately I'm having a lot of joint pain.  Not sure if it's weather related or ??

I guess it's just really hard to relax.  My diagnosis took me by total surprise.  I was so active and healthy.  The cancer and treatment has taken a huge toll on me.  I am no longer able to do the things I use to do and my energy level is nowhere what it use to be.  I know I have to understand that there's a new "normal" but I hate to think that the my days consist of going to work, getting home doing what I absolutely have to do and then calling it a night.   

Perhaps I'm letting the anxiety get the best of me. 

 

Thanks!

Lily, I had a 5 cm tumor and 9 lymph nodes positive, one with 2cm tumor. I am considered high risk so I get CT scans every 6 months (upper torso and abdominal) and check-ups every 3 months. I think you should definitely ask another doctor about the scans. It seems unusual to me that you have not had any. You say you were active when diagnosed and I'm wondering if you still have time for that. Maybe a 1/2 hr walk even? I consider that yoga and running have saved my life. I feel very energetic again but that is easy for me to say because I don't work and can do what I like with my day. I'm very careful with my diet too. No sugar at all and lots of fish, chicken, nuts and veggies. Processed food makes me feel ill now. Do you have any time off coming up and maybe you could go away for a few days? Even a long nap on a Sunday might help. Fatigue is very common so do tell your doctors about it. Take care, Anna