What Is The Outlook For Someone With A Breast Cancer Recurrence
Overall survival rates for breast cancer are generally based on the stage of the cancer at initial diagnosis.
Treatment for local and regional recurrence is often successful. However, theres still a risk of developing distant metastases. Because there are so many variables, its difficult to provide an overall prognosis. Your oncologist can provide a clearer understanding of what to expect for your exact situation.
Metastatic breast cancer can be treated and go into remission, but its not considered curable.
Keep Up With Exercise
A recent study shows that if you regularly exercise even for at least 2.5 hours per week, you can improve your overall health. It may also lower the risk of your cancer coming back. Research also shows that if youâre overweight, cancer is more likely to come back. Physical activity can help you reduce or maintain your weight at a healthy range for your body type.
Exercise can include waking, running, cardio activities, strength training, and flexibility. Guidelines recommend:
- At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week or 75 minutes per week of harder physical activity like running.
- 2 days of muscle training with weights per week.
Thatâs a lot to do if youâre not active now. Take it one step at a time, starting with even a few minutes. Gradually, youâll be able to do more.
Recurrences Can Occur Far Beyond The 5
Unlike the common perception that people who have survived for five years are “cured,” we know that some breast cancers, particularly hormone receptor positive breast cancers, can recur many years and even decades later. In fact, estrogen receptor positive early breast cancers are more likely to recur five years to 10 years after diagnosis than in the first five years.
A 2017 study in JAMA looked at over 62,000 cisgender women with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer over a period of 20 years. The women all received endocrine therapy for five years and were free of cancer when they stopped their medication. Over the next 15 years a steady number of these women developed distant recurrences of their cancer.
There are algorithms that can be used to estimate the risk of recurrence of a breast cancer, but none of these take into account all of the nuances of an individual person.
Recurrences sometimes occur locally in the breast, or regionally in nearby lymph nodes, but far too often are distant recurrences recurrences that show up in distant regions of the body such as the bones, lungs, liver, brain, or other areas. Once a distant recurrence occurs, breast cancer is no longer considered “curable” and the median survival rate of stage 4 breast cancer is only three years with treatment.
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When To Contact A Doctor
A person may wish to contact a doctor if they notice signs that their cancer has returned.
Since the cancer may have spread, a person should contact a doctor about any unusual symptoms throughout their body, not just their breasts.
When making an appointment, a person should be prepared to talk about any new symptoms they are experiencing. They may also want to be ready to discuss their history with cancer.
A doctor may want to ask questions, order tests, and perform a physical examination.
Aromatase Inhibitors Cut Breast Cancer Recurrence In Younger Patients
Drugs called aromatase inhibitors reduce the risk of breast cancer returning compared with oestrogen receptor blocking drugs like tamoxifen, a new study part-funded by Cancer Research UK has found.
And, crucially, these drugs are just as effective in women aged under 35 , who have a higher risk of recurrence than older women.
Caroline Geraghty, specialist cancer information nurse at Cancer Research UK, said: This finding has the potential to make a difference in the lives of thousands of women.
Researchers say they need to follow up patients for longer to find out if the treatment can reduce deaths.
Read Also: Is Male Breast Cancer Curable
Type Of Breast Cancer
The type of breast cancer can affect the recurrence rate.
In a 2017 study, researchers found that people with estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer had a persistent risk of recurrence for at least 20 years after their original diagnosis.
According to Susan G. Komen, factors that influence recurrence can include:
- biology of the tumor
- treatment of the original tumor
- stage of the cancer at diagnosis
, treatment for recurrent local breast cancer depends on what treatment the person originally had.
If a person originally had a lumpectomy, a doctor may recommend a mastectomy.
If a person originally had a mastectomy, a doctor may try to remove the tumor and recommend radiation.
For either scenario, a doctor may also suggest hormone therapy, chemotherapy, or targeted therapy in addition to removing the tumor and using radiation therapy.
Looking Deeper Into Obesity
Studies show that obesity can lead to higher risk of incidence or recurrence of breast cancer, and as part of their study, MacLean and Kabos are trying to gain a better understanding of the link.
As the foundation of this grant, we have a hypothesis that theres an interplay in the tumor microenvironment between large hypertrophic adipocytes and cancer-associated fibroblasts, and that these two different cell types are working together to create a pro-metastatic tumor microenvironment, MacLean says. We hypothesize that if we are able to help our patients lose weight and shrink the adipocytes down, make them less inflammatory, we could disrupt that interplay between cancer-associated fibroblasts and these adipocytes and change the microarchitecture in which the tumor resides and improve outcomes.
A collaboration between the CU Cancer Center, the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, the Colorado NORC, and the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, the study will look not just at how losing weight might help breast cancer survivors prevent relapse, but if certain dietary weight-loss strategies have additional benefits when it comes to the disease.
Theres data that shows intermittent fasting reduces the toxicity of chemotherapies, Kabos adds, but obesity and metabolic syndrome are part of the setup for breast cancer progression or recurrence. That’s what we’re really trying to study how to best approach and implement in patients.
Recommended Reading: What To Expect From Radiation Treatment For Breast Cancer
Four Steps To Avoid A Recurrence
Theres nothing you can do to guarantee that your cancer wont come back, but you can make some changes to help you feel your best after cancer treatment and keep your body stay strong.
Eat a balanced diet. Reach for a colorful mix of fruits and vegetables, good sources of fiber like beans and peas, and whole grains like whole wheat bread and brown rice every day. Avoid or limit drinks that are high in sugar and red or processed meat like beef, pork, hot dogs and sausages. You probably dont need to take vitamin or mineral supplements, unless your care team suggests them. In fact, taking more of certain vitamins or minerals than you need can have a negative effect on your cancer recovery, so be sure to discuss any supplements youre considering with your care team before taking them.
Exercise on most days of the week. Being active can improve your mood, boost self-esteem and reduce fatigue. Its even been shown to lower anxiety and depression and relieve nausea, pain and diarrhea.
Lean on a strong support system. Cancer might be all about the cellular changes in your body, but you know it certainly doesnt stop there. Taking care of your emotional health, whether it be cultivating a strong circle of friends and family as support or getting mental health services, can help you manage the stressors that cancer treatment and recovery can bring.
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How Is Our Approach Different
Conventional breast cancer treatment has helped many women, but treatment options and treatment outcomes have not improved much over the last several decades.
Conventional cancer treatment still uses a brute-force approach requiring invasive surgeries, radiation therapy, very toxic drugs, and chemotherapy.
Such treatments are known to cause damage to the body, suppress the immune system, and leave patients with a litany of side effects, some of which are immediate and others that take months or years to develop.
Women are looking for less invasive yet equally effective treatments based on cutting-edge science and technology. They want answers about how and why they may have developed cancer in the first place. And they want a comprehensive approach that addresses the root cause of disease.
Risk Factors And Prevention Of Recurrence
Anyone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is in remission can have a recurrence. A persons risk of a breast cancer recurrence depends on a variety of factors:
Age: Being diagnosed with breast cancer before age 35 increase a persons chance to have a breast cancer recurrence.
Cancer stage: The stage of the original cancer that an individual is diagnosed with impacts the likelihood of a recurrence. Breast cancer stage is determined by a variety of factors, including tumor size and cancer that involves the lymph nodes. People with larger tumors have a higher risk of a recurrence. Cancers found near the lymph nodes have a greater risk of returning. If the original cancer didnt involve the axillary lymph nodes, there is a 6% chance of a cancer recurrence. If the original cancer did involve the axillary lymph nodes, the chance of a breast cancer recurrence increases to 25% but drops to 6% with radiation therapy after a mastectomy.
Cancer type: Inflammatory breast cancers and triple-negative breast cancers are harder to treat and are more likely to come recur and spread.
Positive or close tumor margins: If there are positive margins or the margin between the tumor and normal tissue are close, there is an increased risk of a breast cancer recurrence.
References
Also Check: Is Male Breast Cancer Rare
Cancer Begins As An Emotional Shock
Dr. Geerd Hamer was a German doctor that found out the emotional connection to cancer. Hamer worked as a chief of internal medicine in a clinic at Munich University. Thus he was able to interview and do Ct scans of thousands of cancer patients.
His research led him to discover how emotional trauma affects the brain. He called these psycho-emotional traumas “Hamer Herds. Every cancer starts with a painful, acute, dramatic and isolating shock.
According to Hamer, all cancers start in the brain. When we experience an emotional shock, it activates different parts of the brain. Every part of the brain controls various organs in the body. That is why cancer grows in different parts of the body.
Cancer manifests when we suffer from an emotional shock
The traumatic event behind the cancer is often beyond the patients control. Such as the loss of a loved one, business, job, home, or some other major disaster. It is not the event that causes our specific cancer, but rather our interpretation of it.
Every disease is a biological program. Diseases run in two phases. We have the active conflict state when the emotional shock happens. And when the trauma is over the body goes back to the healing stage.
The body while intelligent cant tell the difference between a real situation or an imagined one. So the same biological program will start its course.
You have to let go of the underlying emotional conflict if you want to prevent cancer recurrence.
Take Away
Lifestyle Changes Can Reduce The Risk Of Breast Cancer Returning
Surviving breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery can cause uncertainty and concern that the cancer will come back or that a new cancer will occur. Addressing self-care after breast cancer and tending to your overall well-being can help restore a more positive outlook, and might even reduce your chances of facing cancer again.Does using deodorant increase your breast cancer risk? Learn about breast cancer myths and facts
We are experts in managing local breast cancer recurrence and metastatic disease, Lange says. As a comprehensive breast center, our patients range from the newly diagnosed to those with advanced metastatic disease.
Our goal is to find treatment and management options for all patients, using all the healing modalities that evidence-based medicine has proven to be beneficial in the treatment of breast cancer.
Breast Cancer: Moving Beyond the Fear of Recurrence
Being a Survivor
Lifestyle Changes After Breast Cancer
Recommended Reading: How Do They Do Chemo For Breast Cancer
Avoid Toxins And Cleanse Your Body
As I said earlier, cancer cells develop when our body is toxic. Heavy metals are one big source of toxins. The modern age of heavy metal pollution began with the Industrial Revolution.
We started to use it in gasoline, paint, toys, tooth fillings, thermometers, and other things. Industrial waste leak heavy metals to our groundwater, lakes, streams, and rivers. Heavy metals can diminish your bodys immune system.
Some heavy metals you should be aware of are:
Aluminum is poisonous if absorbed and can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s. You can find it in many antiperspirants and cooking utensils.
Mercury is one of the most toxic substances on earth. When mercury binds to hemoglobin less oxygen reaches the tissues. Cancer cells thrive when there is little oxygen. Therefore mercury can cause cancer.
Environmental toxins destroy our health
Amalgam tooth fillings are our biggest source of mercury. They contain 50% mercury! The metals in our mouths corrode in time when there are air and moisture. After a while, the vapor from the tooth filling can then get into our lungs or digestive system.
If you want to avoid cancer, then you need to remove your toxic tooth fillings. Make an appointment with a biological dentist. They specialize in removing amalgam tooth fillings.
You need to find a dentist that you can trust and that uses the right equipment and protocols.
Chemtrails have nothing to do with the jet engine combustion process. They are a guarded secret by the US government.
Take Care Of Your Emotional Needs
A breast cancer diagnosis can take quite a toll on your body, both physically and mentally. The treatments can affect each person differently. And the uncertainty that comes along with breast cancer may also affect your self-worth, identity, and your confidence.
After treatment, managing your new normal and coming to terms with all that has happened may feel challenging. Itâs important to take the time to heal and prioritize your overall emotional and mental health, in addition to your physical health.
- Make some time for self-care and put your needs first.
- Talk to a professional counselor or therapist if fears of breast cancer coming back start to interfere with your daily life.
- Connect with other people whoâve had breast cancer to gain a sense of community.
- Follow news on new treatments or findings.
- Practice mindfulness to reduce stress. Yoga, meditation, and other relaxation techniques can help you center yourself.
- Pick up a hobby that youâve enjoyed before, or explore new ones.
- Journal your feelings.
Keep in mind that if breast cancer does come back, it is not your fault and it can often be treated.
Show Sources
Johns Hopkins Medicine: âReducing Risk of Recurrence,â âEndocrine Therapy for Premenopausal Women,â âEndocrine Therapy for Postmenopausal Women,â âBreast Cancer Recurrence.â
Cleveland Clinic: â3 Reasons to Quit Smoking After a Cancer Diagnosis.â
American Lung Association: âTop Tips for Quitting Smoking.â
Also Check: When Breast Cancer Metastasis To The Lungs
Solutions For Breast Cancer Prevention & Recurrence
Itâs breast cancer awareness month. My mom has been a survivor for nearly 10 years.
I can almost guarantee you know at least one person who has or has had breast cancer, likely and unfortunately â Iâll bet itâs a handful or more people.
There is SO much we can do to prevent breast cancer and to dilute the 1 in 8 women statistic.
Or if youâve already had or are currently going through treatment, there is SO much you can do to prevent recurrence. Itâs also possible to add on supportive cancer care during treatment with holistic methods.
Below, Iâm sharing a three-part interview I just did with breast cancer survivor , Cynthia Apodaca, founder of Tea of a Kind â the high antioxidant tea.
I helped her years ago while she was going through breast cancer and afterward to rejuvenate her liver and cellular health post treatment.
We discuss why breast cancer is proliferating, what we can do to prevent it or prevent the recurrence of it as well as supportive nutritional cancer care therapies if youâre currently going through treatment.
Statin Induction Of Cancer Cell Apoptosis
In addition to suppressing growth of tumor cells, some literature reports that statins can induce apoptosis. Several pathways have been described that contribute to induction of apoptosis. First, statins have been shown to decrease the protein levels of anti-apoptotic proteins such as Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL . Second, statins have also been shown to upregulate the activation of pro-apoptotic molecules such as Bax, Bad, and Caspases 3, 8, and 9 . Additionally, statins have been shown to decrease phosphorylation and degradation of Bim in breast cancer cells , promoting apoptosis. Third, statins can induce reactive oxygen species generation, resulting in an increase in p38 MAPK and activation of apoptotic pathways . Similarly, iNOS-mediated generation of nitric oxide was shown to contribute to simvastatin- and fluvastatin-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells . Fourth, statins can activate JNK-mediated apoptotic pathways that are independent of p53 activation . Finally, statins can induce calcium-dependent apoptosis through increased mitochondrial uptake of calcium through L-type calcium channels, resulting in the release of cytochrome C . It is suggested that these pro-apoptotic effects are mainly mediated by a reduction in GGPP- rather than FPP-modified proteins .
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