Olivia-Newton John's breast cancer returns after 25 years

According to USA Today and Insider, based on an Australian interview on Sunday Night (SN), she did not have a 25 year gap before reoccurrence. After an accident in 2013 she discovered she had metastatic breast cancer in her shoulder but chose to keep it confidential at that time, so this is her third bout with this disease. About 90% of breast cancer is Ductal. The second largest group is Lobular, followed by a very small percentage of all the others combined. Ductal is typically faster growing than Lobular, so any reoccurrence or metastesis usually shows up within 5 years, and studies typically use a 5 year marker for recurrence rates, thus the 5 year celebration. However, Lobular tends to be slower growing and more difficult to detect, due to the lack of e-cadherin which acts as sort of glue. In Ductal the glue causes the cancer cells to ball together, but in Lobular, without the glue, they form a chain and grow out rather than ball up, thus making them harder to detect both initially and for recurrence. So for those of you with Ductal, who are more than 5 years out, your odds of recurrence go way down with time. However for those with Lobular, your odds go up with time for cancer to be rediscovered because it is slow growing and harder to detect. I have met women with Lobular who found recurrent cancer after 20 to 22 years. Since Olivia Newton John first discovered recurrent cancer in 2013, after 21 years, it certainly fits the profile for Lobular, but I haven't seen any reports confirming this. The point is, for most of you, the 90% with Ductal, you should not stess over a 20 or 25 year recurrence, as your variety is less likely to hide out that long. But those with Lobular should be more vigilant in getting check ups and evaluation for possible distant Mets over the years. As far as fear, we should all have a "healthy fear" like the kind that keeps us from combining wet hands with an electric socket or touching exposed wires. We all live with electricity every day but we don't get overly worried. We simply take healthy steps to avoid a negative outcome as much as possible. Granted, we have less control over cancer, but we must focus on what we can do to prevent it, and leave the rest in God's hands. I have seen many miracles. God bless you all.

Agree with DMM. As I understand it, slow-growing cancers, as ductal mostly are, can recur up to 20 or more years later. As for the five-year mark, this is more important for those with aggressive tumors (those with IBC and TN), since they tend to recur early, and five years is a quite meaningful achievement.

The generally accepted recurrence rate for all bc types is 30%. It is this statistic which is an inconvenient truth, and one that rarely makes the media. As for ON-J, I've watched a long interview with her in Australia and she is quite open about her current treatment which she says is radiation and Cannabinoids for pain. A sort of medical/alternative approach. Remember also that she is promoting her new book and much of the media chat around her current recurrence derives from her media team. As well, her husband is into the alternative remedy business. As to those reporting her story, they are mostly ignorant of medical matters and big on entertainment matters. The stories are written to entertain more than enlighten.