In regards to the study, here's the "Expert Comment" written by: Lee Schwartzberg MD (Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of Tennessee College of Medicine & Medical Director, The West Clinic)

"We used to consider the 5-year mark of relapse-free survival the hallmark of successful anticancer treatment. If it didn't come back by then, the patient was in the clear, right? Unfortunately, the 5-year time point is not a particularly good one for breast cancer, and this is especially true when we consider the various subtypes of breast cancer. ER+ breast cancer has a long natural history, with over half of the recurrence events occurring after 5 years. There are little data on very long follow-up of patients with breast cancer in a clinical trial setting, where data are likely to be most accurate. The investigators from the IBCSG present 24-year follow-up in this report, and, while there are no surprises, it is interesting to observe that, after the early phase, survival curves cross for ER- and ER+ breast cancer, with the ER+ patients actually at greater risk (although low) from years 10 to 25. It may be time to rethink surveillance based on subtype. Patients with triple-negative cancers could be seen much more frequently in the first 2 to 3 years, perhaps every 2 to 3 months, and then follow-up discontinued at 5 years due to low base rate. On the other hand, patients with ER+ tumors appear to require tumor surveillance for at least 10 years once or twice a year, and perhaps even longer."

I wonder why?

Oh Good God! 41 years. The only solution is to live each day to its fullest. Hugs all around.