How soon after surgery did you start Tamoxifen?

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Dres123
Dres123 Member Posts: 57
edited November 2020 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

Hi everyone?


How long after surgery did you all start Tamoxifen/Hormone therapy. My wife had her surgery on September 1, and we are still waiting on Oncotype results (request submitted on October 1). She’s ER/PR positive, Stage 1A. I understand that oncotype takes a while. I’m just anxious for the next step of Tamoxofen to start and not wait in limbo for too long. Is it normal to wait 2+ months to start Tamoxifen/hormone therapy??


thanks!


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  • flashlight
    flashlight Member Posts: 698
    edited November 2020

    Dres123, My surgery was late November and I didn't get my Oncotype results until mid January. I didn't need chemo and started radiation which finished in early March. I started Tamoxifen in April. Some started Tamoxifen during radiation, but I wouldn't suggest that. Some don't have any side effects with Tamoxifen, but others do. One side effect is fatigue which is also a side effect of radiation. One step at a time worked best for me.

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  • Beaverntx
    Beaverntx Member Posts: 3,183
    edited November 2020

    Dres123, similar timing to flashlight, my surgery was the end of January. I started Tamoxifen in July after completing radiation. I was told a wait of 6 months or so would be OK, so your wife is well within that time frame.

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  • Rah2464
    Rah2464 Member Posts: 1,647
    edited November 2020

    Thats interesting. My MO was pretty adamant that I start Tamoxifen within four weeks of my surgery. I remember asking her if it was ok to start after a trip to attend a wedding about six weeks after surgery and she shook her head at me and said I needed to start now. Maybe it has something to do with your menopausal status, I don't know. I was premenopausal so there was plenty of estrogen swimming around.

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  • BlueGirlRedState
    BlueGirlRedState Member Posts: 1,031
    edited November 2020

    I think I started Tamoxifen after the lumpectomy and 6 weeks of radiation, but DRs might adjust timing depending on patient health and their opinion/experience. The radiologist postponed radiation for 1-2 weeks after surgery, because he thought I needed to heal more. Even though I was already in menopause, that oncologist Rxd tamoxifin rahter than AI (2009) because he had more confidence in it. I wonder if he still has the same opinion.

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