Triple negative breast cancer after 7 years.

angelcakes

Someone has told me that it is unusual for a person with triple negative breast cancer to relapse after 7 years.  Is that true or does this person has their information wrong?  I am getting so tired of being depressed and afraid about losing my life.  I am to the point where i don't care anymore.  I am starting to look at it now as whatever happens to me just happens because i am tired of letting the fear of cancer take over my life.  I just want to be happy and not fear a recurrence anymore.

Morgan513

From what I've read, risk of recurrence goes down at 2-3 years, down to almost zero after 5 years, and virtually never returns after 7 years out.

Lorrie 

ddlatt

Recurrence patterns different for women with triple-negative breast cancer

Posted Aug 26th 2007 6:00PM by Kristina Collins

Triple-negative breast cancer means that the pathology report has shown the cancer to be estrogen receptor negative, progesterone receptor negative, and HER2 negative.

Results published in Clinical Cancer Research found that women with triple negative breast cancer have an increased risk of metastatic disease and death during the first few years after diagnoses, but not after that time period.

A study was conducted among 1,601 breast cancer patients. One hundred and eighty women (11.2%) had triple negative breast cancer.

The results of the study:

The average age at diagnosis was younger for women with triple-negative breast cancer than for women with other forms of breast cancer.

Even after accounting for factors such as tumor size and lymph node status, women with triple-negative breast cancer were more likely than other women to experience a distant cancer recurrence or death. This increased risk, however, was only seen during the first five years after diagnosis.

The pattern of distant cancer recurrence was different among women with triple-negative breast cancer than among women with other forms of breast cancer. Among women with triple-negative breast cancer, risk of distant recurrence peaked at roughly three years after diagnosis and then declined rapidly. Among women with other forms of breast cancer, risk of recurrence was fairly constant over time.

LRM216

Unfortunately, yes, there are recurrences after 5 years - but there are also many ladies that never recur.  Keep thinking of the glass being half-full, not half-empty.

angelcakes

I'm just going to try to be as strong as i can and not allow this disease to take over my life.  I am going to just keep praying and hope that i am blessed to never have to go through this disease ever again.

LRM216

That's all any of us can do, unfortunately.  I wish we had guarantees, but we do not.

Linda

Meggy

AngelCakes, I think you should view yourself as cured.  7 years....my oncologist calls people cured after just 5.  I am so happy for you.  Let yourself be happy and believe in the future.  I know what you mean about tired.  You have been through so much.  May it all be in your past.  God bless.