Do you consider hormonal therapy.....chemo?

Hormonal therapy, though systemic, is not considered chemo. For those who are not stage IV it is taken to prevent recurrence. For those who are stage IV, and ER+, it may be used as a first line tx to prevent or slow progression

ETA: just googled your question and some sites do refer to it as chemotherapy. I, personally, never have considered it "chemo" and can't imagine telling people I have ever been on chemo (Arimidex and Femara) for almost 4 years. Knowing many who have been on chemo for years, it would feel a bit disingenuous .

I think that insurance companies have a strict definition of chemotherapy and hormone treatment is not classified as chemo. I'd be pretty sure that oncologists do not consider hormone treatments as chemo either. The general public may not know this, but why would they?

I have never heard of estrogen blockers considered chemo. My IBC is ER+/PR- and havs been on Femara/letrozole for 5 yrs.

If you want to donate blood, you can while on Hormonal Therapy and are 2 yrs post active TX and still NED, you can donate. There are some types of cancer that you can never donate as they are blood borne. With BC, even on estrogen blockers, you can donate IF you want to. I havequite a few times since my 2 yr time frame. It is always listed on the form filled out so they are well aware of my HX.

kicks, interesting about blood donations. I wanted to donate but they said 2 yrs POST TX, meant AFTER I was off of Tam...not, after chemo and rads. I've only been on Tam for 9 months, so it really doesn't matter anyway, at this point.

Kicks, thanks so much for the info on blood donation while on AIs. I suspect that the guidelines vary regionally but it's good to know that it's not flat-out ruled out.

Before I was diagnosed with breast cancer I worked in Transfusion Services for the largest blood bank in Florida, which is also one of the largest donor testing companies in the United States .  I donated regularly, but I will never donate blood again.  I would respectfully ask you to carefully consider a few things before you donate blood, and add that it is important to understand both how donated blood is screened, and who gets blood after it is donated.  I realize that it I everyone's right to make choices about whether this something that they feel is ethical to do - and it is certainly within your rights to do if your local blood collection agency allows it, but I think it is important to be fully informed before you make that decision. One of the reasons that many blood collection agencies will allow collection from cancer patients, other than those with blood cancers, is that they currently have no screening tests available to screen for cancer in the donated blood supply.  This was once true for HIV/AIDS and blood donations were collected and transfused to people who then contracted disease from that blood.  Now we have screening tests for this and a number of other diseases, such as hepatitis, West Nile, Chagas, etc.  Donor testing processes are being developed all the time and blood will be collected from donors with degrees of risk until a screen is developed to eliminate them as donors.  Blood collection is a business, so until there is a screening test for cancer cells in the donated blood supply many local agencies will continue to collect from cancer patients after an arbitrary time period from treatment.  Some agencies will allow after a year, five years, some not at all.  Additionally, please consider who is getting your blood - it is fellow cancer patients who are immune compromised, elderly, they could be anemic, or catastrophically injured folks, open heart surgery patients, and babies in the NICU.  The blood given to patients is not sorted in the compatibility testing lab prior to transfusion to determine the donor's individual health history - so your donated blood - with potential for it to contain cancer cells since none of us knows when we might recur, or anti-hormonal drugs  - could be transfused to a newborn, or another cancer patient.  I can't in good conscience donate my blood knowing this, and just because you can donate doesn't mean you should. 

Wow I can't believe people who have had cancer can donate. It's not something I would do but I am really surprised that it is considered okay. I ate meat in the UK in the late 80's and I'm not allowed to donate in case I have Mad Cow Disease. You learn something every day.

My MO specifically and emphatically stated that hormonal therapy is NOT chemotherapy. I have a friend who calls her Femara her oral chemo. I think it is easier for her to explain treatment that way.

I had very close situation.  I was less than a year out of rads for DCIS when my brother who had Hodgkins called me to tell me he was looking into bone marrow transplant and said, you know the best chance for a success was a sibling.  I was startled and said you know I would not likely to be allowed to do that~~  His answer, why?  well I said that I was only  year after my 3 lumpies, rads and such and did not think I would be permitted.  He did not understand as he did not consider my DCIS to be real cancer!

he got angry, said he was only researching the transplant.  It caused a major rift in my family but I am sure I did the right thing.  Years later he did do an experimental transplant that failed and his heart gave out.

I have no doubt that I did the correct thing as I could not have handled him passing after I had given cells

think on that guys! 

My understanding is that only long surviving in situ cancer patients can be considered for marrow donation.  In addition to potentially harboring cancer cells, marrow can be permanently damaged by chemotherapeutic agents.  For other organ donation from cancer patients, I believe that skin/tendons/bone (in some situations) and corneal transplants can take place.  I do have a good friend (and dx'ed at 35 with TN breast cancer) that works for our local transplant organization doing histopathology and they are exceedingly thorough about who can donate, so it doesn't hurt to list yourself as an organ donor because they will take a full medical history, and do a lot of testing, before proceeding with any transplant plans. 

makes sense to me, since my thing with my brother, I really was no way long term but can imagine.....timing was off for him