Tamoxifen for 10 years and not 5

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demelza
demelza Member Posts: 1
edited June 2014 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

Hi  I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2006, had a mastectomy, axillery node clearance 4 weeks of radiation therapy to the chest wall followed by 5 years of Tamoxifen. I finished Tamoxifen in January 2012. I have just read a number of articles and reports regarding taking Tamoxifen for ten years post surgery and not the normal 5 years.

Any advice on this appreciated. Is it possible to receive another 5 years of Tamoxifen if you have already finished the first 5 years? 

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  • Monis
    Monis Member Posts: 472
    edited May 2014

    My Onc said I'd be on Tamoxifen for 10 years, because recent studies have shown that women still receive benefit from it beyond the 5 years.  But, I'm not in the same shoes as you are as I've just started on it a few months ago.

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  • swim_girl
    swim_girl Member Posts: 37
    edited May 2014

    Demelza, I think a lot of it depends on the individual's patient's circumstances--risk of recurrence, tolerance of Tamoxifen, etc. I think higher risk women are more likely to take it for 10 will those who are lower risk might get their doc's blessing to stop at 5. If you are still seeing your oncologist, you can ask him or her. When I first brought it up with my oncologist, she said she'd be happy to see me make 5 years and then we'd go from there. I hated how I felt on Tamoxifen and wound up stopping long before 5 years. If my risk of recurrence were higher, I probably would have accepted lower quality of life in exchange for better odds. It's always such a personal choice.

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