5-year survival rate

I wish I knew what all of the abreviations meant!  What does NED mean?

5 yr survival rates combine everyone who is alive after 5 yrs.

That means: recurrence free, local recurrence or metastatsis. ALL still alive, combined together.

Thats why 5yr stats cant be too reliable....and why I dont pay much attention to them.

I think 5 year survival rate is becoming a bit out of date - it was one of those convenient ways to view a statistically significant group - anyone who had survived any cancer for 5 years. I think we ALL know now that all cancers are very individual and all individuals will respond differently to the many treatments for the many different cancer types - bottom line - ANY survival period is GOOD - does it really say much about the overall survival - probably not...for BC - the significant thing is response to treatment and the fact that there are so many treatments....

Shanagirl- Arimidex does cause a lot of bone pain - also it affects joints and tendons - so anyone on an AI is more than likely to feel more aches and pains than before they were on an AI.IF your hp continues to give you trouble - especially in the pain increases - I would report this to the onc - especially if you are not taking a bisphosphonate to help counteract the effects of the AI - Bonefos is a useful oral bisphos and can help reduce bone pain - gentle exercise helps with the muscles and tendons. 

Good luck with this.

Fidelia

Shana,

AI's are known for bone and joint aches...more so than I think Tamox. I was walking up some stairs today...and I was aching!!!!

Im doing OS + Femara and I know all my aches are from the lack of estrogen. It is what it is...you can try to take Glucosamine. It helps with joint aches ect.

It also depends on a woman BC diagnosis. ER+? ER-? Her2+/-? With recurrence time frames. ER- and Her2+ woman are more likely to recur in the first 2-3 yrs. With ER+ BC, Ive read a couple of times that 50% of BC's that recur AFTER the 5yr mark are ER+.

 Great....is it because most woman stop their anti hormone meds after 5 yrs? We do not know.

<sigh>...just another reason for me to get cracking on my ooph!

When in doubt, read the 5 year survivor thread...have hope that some day it will be your post we are reading! ))   Many women survive this stage, why not you?(that's one of my mantras...and I will chant it until such day that I can't).

Pure - You aren't taking the aspirin yet, are you?  As it's a blood thinner, it's a no-no until we're done with chemo, right?

Yes!

You know, when we get dignosed and go through chemo ect...we want to do everything we can to rid ourselves of BC. But....mixing certain vitamins and minerals and adding "other stuff" should wait till chemo is finished. Perferably...even rads.

Trust the chemo is doing its job, and just leave it. you can always start Aspirin when your finished. I waited 4 weeks before starting any supplement.

Adding "extras" could actually work against you and not for you.

I thought it ended in 2000....

I will be 6 years out from my stage 3 dx in March. I am still NED. I had a 7 cm tumor, 2/18 nodes positive and encapsulated,  ER/PR+, grade 3. I had a mastectomy, axillary dissection, AC/T, 30 rads, 2 years tamoxifen, hysterectomy, oophorectomy and then  aromasin which ends next Dec.

I was told I had a 60% chance of survival 10 years out. At first, during treatment, I was terrified. However, at my last 6-month follow-up in Dec. my oncologist told me that breast cancer can be on the back burner in my life now. I was advised to plan on what I wanna do for the rest of my life!  I don't go back to the oncologist for another year!

There is hope!!

Wallan 

From what my onc has told me, most recurrences occur during the 1st 2 years after diagnosis, especially in the more aggressive cancers. Then there is another drop-off rate in the statistics between 5 and 6 years.  She told me the big milestones for breast cancer are 2 yrs and then 6 yrs, but of course a recurrence can happen any time, we are never off the hook.  Ugh!

Just wanted to pass one of the Onc said that I will more than likely be on AI's for 7 years instead of 5.  Fine with me as anything that helps with decreasing my risk of recurrence is fine with me!