How to Prevent Breast Cancer Recurrence

There is still the risk of breast cancer resurfacing after treatment, up to twenty years later, according to a study. Precisely, 63,000 women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer were studied. The women had been treated with hormonal therapy with medications that block estrogens effects for five years, thereby helping to prevent a return of the cancer. The finding was that while the women remained cancer-free for those five years, the risk for recurrence in the next 15 years was still high.

The risk is greatest for women, whose earlier diagnosis showed the cancer had moved to several lymph nodes near the breast, signifying the odds of cancer recurrence in such tissue as the bones, liver or lungs as high as 41%.  Although there has been further advance in the treatment of breast cancer, the data is still worrying. The finding is nonetheless providing doctors and women more information to allow treatment decisions. For instance women can go for more than five years of hormonal therapy, since studies have confirmed that longer treatment reduces the risk for recurrence.  Notwithstanding the downside of extra years of side effects such as hot flashes, loss of sexual libido and joint pain, at least women have the choice to weight the effect of longer treatment to the discomforting side effects.

For the study, the 63,000 women with estrogen sensitive breast cancer, after an earlier treatment with surgery, and sometimes chemotherapy, all had five years of hormonal therapy. Many had the drug Tamoxifen, sometimes with newer hormonal drugs called aromatase inhibitors.

Women with no affected lymph nodes faced a 13 to 19% chance of a distant recurrence in the 15 years after concluding their hormonal therapy. For those with one to three affected nodes, the odds of a distant recurrence were 20 to 26%. Women with four to nine nodes affected, the chances of such recurrence were 34 to 41%.

The study reveals that there is no doubt that women in these situations should discuss longer-term hormonal therapy with their doctor. Point to note is that additional hormonal therapy won’t erase the possibility of a recurrence.  In addition, while it will not change the 13% risk to zero risk, it can reduce the risk.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons