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Tobs
Tobs Member Posts: 2
edited July 2018 in Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis

Hello,

My sister had breast cancer over 10 years ago, then found lump under arm pit. CT scan shows spots on lungs and bones. Cancer is hormone related. Meeting with oncologist next week to discuss plans of treatment.

Can someone please explain what is likely to happen, any questions that we should ask the oncologist? I'm.terrified and unsure what to do.


Thanks,

Tob X



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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited July 2018

    Dear Tobs, we're so sorry that you have to be here for your sister's diagnosis, but wanted to say welcome to this wonderful Community!

    We're sure some of our community members will be around shortly to offer some support and advice but, in the mean time, you may want too check out/join this thread too, with many, many other members who can inspire you as a caregiver:

    For Family & Caregivers of Loved Ones With a STAGE IV Diagnosis

    Hope this helps! Let us know how it goes with oncologist.

    Best wishes,

    The Mods

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  • illimae
    illimae Member Posts: 5,710
    edited July 2018

    Tobs, if she is not on hormone suppression and it proves to be HR (hormone receptor) positive, the oncologist will likely recommend medication for that and I believe chemo would begin soon to get control of the situation. It’s scary but please know that there are treatment options and many of us live for several years, some well over a decade with this disease. Good luck 🙂

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  • Tobs
    Tobs Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2018

    I just want her to have some years of normality before the symptoms start to take hold. Does the hormone therapy come with bad side effects that will change the quality of her life?


    Thanks for the help, this is all new to me and I'm trying to get as much information as possible

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  • dtad
    dtad Member Posts: 2,323
    edited July 2018

    Tobs...so sorry your sister is going through this. Everyone reacts differently to hormone therapy. Hopefully it will not affect her QOL. Good luck and keep us posted.

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  • pajim
    pajim Member Posts: 2,785
    edited July 2018

    Tobs, maybe by now your sister has seen her MO? Most likely, as you indicated she has hormone positive cancer, she will be put on an ovarian suppression regimen along with either letrozole or letrozole plus Ibrance.

    When we talk about 'hormonal therapy' we really mean hormone blocking therapy. The cancer feeds on estrogen (which is why it's estrogen receptor +) so the idea is to block all the estrogen in the body. What that means for symptoms is. . .menopause. And just as some women have an easy menopause (what's a hot flash?), other women suffer (Man, I sweat all the time!).

    There's no way to know how your sister will react. Ibrance has it's own side-effects. Mainly it affects white cell counts. Some women feel really tired, others aren't bothered at all. I was one of the 'not bothered' ones but if you read the threads on this site you'll find plenty of women have plenty of side-effects. Of course the people who aren't having trouble tend not to be posting asking for help.

    I wish your sister the best of luck. Have her come and join us! The Stave IV forum has threads for each treatment. Lots of tips and tricks and what-to-expects.

    Pam

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