Surgery after a year

GrizzlyIam

Hi,

My friend’s sister was just diagnosed with bc. She was told tumor the size of a walnut and it’s in her chest not breast tissue. She was told she will not have to have chemo and no surgery. She said she has to take a hormone blocker (not sure which drug) for a year and then be evaluated to see if surgery is an option. Has anyone heard of this plan for treatment? A whole year with cancer inside you? Is this possible? Thanks for any information

Anonymous

Stage IV de novo the primary breast tumor is typically not removed but instead you are started on estrogen blockers and CDK4/6 inhibitor pills and injections. The idea is to get the cancer under control first then potentially surgery if the primary grows further or the patient is doing well and the MO believes it is in their interest to remove the tumor (various reasons behind that). Some never have the primary removed as the risk from surgery complications vs benefit vs being off the drugs may outweigh benefit, or the drugs work to where the primary disappears.

Without knowing more about the situation (which sounds like it could be complex and in a lymph node/bone and made up of bc cells), that is the only reasoning why she would otherwise be on hormone blockers and no chemo/surgery.

LivinLife

Just want to wish you all well Grizzly!