is recurrence inevitable?

KathyL624

So many have said on this site that it is not a matter of if, but when, breast cancer will come back. Does anyone have proof of this? So many people tell me about their own long term remission/cure, and my doctors have used terms like, "this is curable" and "this will be just a bump in the road of your health history." My sister is an internist and says she deals with many many women for whom breast cancer is just a part of their history, and usually not even a significant one.

So my question is--are these "recurrence is inevitable" statements coming out of fear from reading stories on this site, or does anyone have concrete evidence of this? I know in this month of pinkwashing, a lot of false hope is being passed around, but isn't a lot of the stats they use to give this hope based on many many women, particularly at our early stage, that never recur?

labelle

Well, my husband's aunt had BC 40+ years ago. Treated with a mastectomy only and now she's 90 something with no recurrence.

According to the stats, the vast majority of people diagnosed with early stage breast cancer do not ever have a recurrence. They live out their full lifespans and die of something else. The number one killer of women who have had and who have not had BC is heart disease. The idea that it is not a matter of if, but when, breast cancer will come back,that a recurrence if inevitable, flies in the face of all the data on this subject. It's just not true.

However, I think it is more than a "bump in the road." It is a worrisome condition, since we never really know and no one can guarantee that we as individuals won't have a recurrence-but the odds based on long term studies are definitely in our favor. Our treatments and their side effects often make a BC diagnosis a significant part of our medical history and can also make it hard to just "move on."

sbelizabeth

What's the source of the "recurrence is inevitable" statement? It most certainly is not inevitable.

Here's my concrete evidence.

This is my 92-year-old mom. She had a left mastectomy in her 70's and right mastectomy a few years later. Two primaries. No metastasis.

KathyL624

thanks for your replies. I have read those things on this site! So many women posting that recurrence is inevitable

Beesie

The women posting on this site that "recurrence is inevitable" are speaking out of fear, not based on fact.

The fact is that the majority of women diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer do not experience a recurrence (localized or distant) and the vast majority survive long term, passing away (hopefully at a very old age) of something other than breast cancer.

Mammygranny

Hi Kathy L,

People who do not have a recurrence probably don't bother posting on breast cancer websites - they are just too busy enjoying life as can be seen in Sbelizabeths wonderful photo!!!

It's really only when something like breast happens to us that we go online and look for sites like this (that can be of enormous benefit to us - from gaining information to having brilliant support from others who are going through the same thing.)

So I think we are a select group - posts come from people who are experiencing something.


I find Labelle's reply describing the statistics very comforting - look at the statistics - our odds are good - so we get our treatment - keep an eye on things, have regular checkups, and enjoy every day we can! We may be the unlucky one who has a recurrence but we have a much better chance of going on to live a long and joyful life, appreciating every moment even more because of our cancer scare and the second chance we have been given by modern medicine.

Yolo123

bum

Yolo123

bum

radgal

No

Italychick

Had two great aunts with breast cancer, not sure what treatment they had or what type. But they both had their real boobs, so I'm assuming they had lumpectomies. Both diagnosed in their 50s. One lived to 94 and the other to 99 with no return of breast cancer.

Tmh0921

I was Dx at 27 in 1999. In December, I will mark 17 years with no recurrence.

I was diagnosed this year with Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia in the same breast as my original tumor and am on Tamoxifen as a preventative measure (I quit after 2 years of taking it the first time to have a baby). My doctors have told me I'm high risk simply because I've had BC in the past, and I was so young at Dx. I did have genetic testing (25 gene panel), and had no mutations.

Fear of recurrence is normal, but it does lessen over time. Most women stop frequenting message boards once they've completed treatment and had some time pass. I myself stopped visiting message boards for years until my recent scare (which turned out to be ADH).

There are a LOT of long term survivors out there, living recurrence free.

Tracy

KathyL624

Thank you for sharing that! I do get mired down in the unfortunate stories here and it helps so much to hear from people like you!

suzydthatisme

My husband's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 60's and went on to live well into her 80's, eventually succumbing to dementia. Lots of people live long lives after a breast cancer diagnosis!

mustlovepoodles

I have two aunts who were diagnosed with BC. One was only 24. She had a radical mastectomy in 1912, so no chemo, radiation, or Tamoxifen. She lived to her 90s and died of dementia. The other was diagnosed when she was 45, in 1979, so she had a modified radical mastectomy, chemo, and radiation, but no Tamoxifen.  She died about a year ago at age 78 from lung cancer (not BC mets to the lungs, but a whole new cancer, never smoked a day in her life.)   My father's mother was diagnosed with BC at age 58, in 1969. She had a radical mastectomy and cobalt treatments. She lived to be 76 and died of ;colon cancer (not BC mets; she was a 3 pack a day smoker for most of her life.)