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Moved new onocologist took my mom of tamoxifen before the 5 yr mark since she was having some side effects he stated
that since she had radiation & a lumpectomy that it was over kill since it was in the beginning stages & had clear margins claims 50% of docs wouldnt even had prescribed any radiation? Anybody else have any experience
Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS)
RE: other answer re: Arimdex causes cervical cancer.
Not true. HPV causes cervical cancer. Spread by oral, anal or vaginal sex with infected partner(s)
There is a link, however, between breast cancer patients and ovarian cancer.
Adjuvant therapy IS what the American Cancer Society and the Susan B Komen Foundation~ and the CAancer Network of US full cancer centers support. The US general breast cancer gudelines indicated below are accepted practice all over the country:
1. Partial or full mastectomy & lymph node removal.
2. followed by radiation
3. followed by 5 years of Tamoxifen or one of the newer aromatase inhibitors for early stage & hormone positive tumors.
I would change to another oncologist immediately!! What doesn't he know? Standard guidelines RECOMMEND 5 yrs of adjuvant anti estrogen therapy after surgery & radiation -~sometimes more. The Dr. sounds like a quack.
Surgery removes the tumor and affected lymph nodes. Radiation treatment kills any other cells not taken out w/surgery. It DOES NOT MEAN cancer will not recur. In fact breast cancer recurs often & spreads often.
Breast tissue extends from the neck (high--on the head) to the waist and down the arms. Even a mastectomy doesn't take it all out.
Especially in breast cancer--30% of women WILL HAVE a recurrence anywhere from 2-17 years later. Sometimes it's 20-25 yrs later.
1/3 of ALL women diagnosed with breast cancer will die from it. It's not to be played around with.
I know--I am on aromatase--anti-estrogen therapy because My tumor type requires estrogen to grow. Anti-estrogen therapy reduces the occurrence iof ductal carcinoma in the same or in the other breast to littel to none. because the therapy pretty much stops all estrogen production in the body.
All the chemo and enzyme therapies (which are also chem0 by pill) have side effects. Most are well tolerated.
When you are removing estrogen from a woman of course there will be side effects. Even post menopausal women have lots of estrogen. You stop it's production--estrogen related tumors can't survive.
Tamoxifen is standard premenopausal (and rarely--post menopausal) treatment. Aromatase therapy is the standard now for post menopausal women.
Ultimately it is up to your Mother--Are the side efects worse than the chance of another breast tumor?? Death from breast cancer?
ANY & ALL drugs have side effects. Have you read the warnings on a bottle of aspirin??
Find another medical oncologist and see to it you have one who you requires regular CT & PET scans for the whole body for cancer restaging. Your Mother needs to be monitored even if she is on Tamox.
Was her cancer positive for hormones? If it was then she needs the extra meds if not then it is over kill. I was advance stage 3. They did the lumpectomy and after chemo and radiation put me on Tamoxifen supposed to be for 5 yrs but the side effects were so bad that I could not handle it any more. It's awful to wake up every morning depressed and mad at everyone. My son swore I was bi polar. You shouldn't take Arimidex if you have not had a full hysterectomy as it can cause cervical cancer. I am now on Arimidex and only get tired real easy plus a little foggy at times.
my wife had lumpectomy, chemotherapy,radiation and five years of Arimidex. She is doing OK so far. This seems to be the normal treatment. Good luck.
