If your breast cancer has spread to other parts of your body known as secondary breast cancer this will affect your prognosis. Secondary breast cancer can be treated, sometimes for many years, but not cured. Find out more about secondary breast cancer.
In order to be as clear as possible, your treatment team is more likely to talk about your chances of survival over a period of time or the possibility of remaining free of breast cancer in the future. It can be difficult to take in and make sense of information about your prognosis. Having a good prognosis may reassure you, although you may still worry. If your prognosis is less good, you may feel anxious about the future. No tests can tell you with complete certainty what will happen to you.
Sometimes people with a poor prognosis live for a long time. Equally, breast cancer can come back in people with a seemingly excellent prognosis. Most people find that it gets easier over time but sometimes you may need more support. This can come in all sorts of ways: from your friends or family, your breast care nurse, specialist or GP. You can also be referred to a counsellor who is trained to help people explore their feelings following a diagnosis of, and treatment for, breast cancer.
For more information, visit our support for you section. To hear from us, enter your email address below. Skip to main content. Home Information and support Facing breast cancer Diagnosed with breast cancer. Work and breast cancer Second primary diagnosis. How your prognosis might affect you 1. There are a number of factors that affect breast cancer prognosis. These include: the type of breast cancer the grade of the breast cancer the size of the breast cancer lymph node status ER status HER2 status For more information see our booklet Understanding your pathology results or visit our pathology report page.
Ways to estimate prognosis Computer programs Doctors sometimes use online programs to estimate prognosis. Predict Predict is an online decision-making tool. Nottingham Prognostic Index NPI This is a scoring system which looks at the grade and size of the breast cancer and whether there are any breast cancer cells in the lymph nodes. By the mids, that figure had climbed to 73 per cent. Part of those gains can be attributed to the introduction throughout Canada during the late s and early s of population-wide mammogram-screening programs that have led to an improvement in early detection of the disease in many women.
Experts also point to a much wider array of effective treatments that tend to be less onerous than past therapies. In a lumpectomy, only the tumour and a small margin of surrounding normal tissue are removed, along with a few lymph nodes for testing.
A mastectomy involves the surgical removal of the entire breast and all the lymph nodes in the armpit. After the initial surgery, tumour samples are examined in the lab for the presence of estrogen receptors. The results of these tests will determine if a woman would be a good candidate for a drug like Tamoxifen, which binds to the hormone receptors — and prevents the real estrogen from acting on the tumour.
Tamoxifen can slow or stop the growth of cancer cells and is considered highly effective in lowering the risk of breast cancer recurrence. For post-menopausal women with hormone-sensitive tumours, doctors may prescribe a class of drugs known as aromatase inhibitors, instead of Tamoxifen. They work differently than Tamoxifen but generally achieve the same result; they lower estrogen levels. Herceptin is another drug that can help put the brakes on uncontrolled cancer growth.
It is used in women who have a gene that leads to an excessive number of HER2 receptors on the surface of the cancer cells. These receptors pick up growth signals and spur on the tumour.
By blocking HER2 receptors, Herceptin can slow or stop the growth of the breast cancer. In other words, cancer therapy is moving towards a personalized approach. There have also been significant changes in post-operative radiation therapy — which you raised as one of your chief worries. Typically the radiation is focused on a smaller area, using a higher dose for a shorter period of time, said Dr.
This approach helps to reduce side effects and limits the damage done to surrounding healthy tissue. Two large clinical trials have shown that a low-fat diet and regular exercise can reduce the risk of recurrence and lower the chance of death in women with early-stage cancer.
It should also be noted that not smoking tobacco increases the likelihood that your cancer treatment will work.
I hope this overview of improved survival rates and increased treatment options alleviate some of your fears. As Dr. And women with breast cancer today are certainly benefiting from those advances.
Click here to download our Personal Health Navigator ebook for free. Follow Paul on Twitter epaultaylor. Thank you for the information it gives me hope. I was diagnosed in with stage 1 b breast cancer.
Of what I could find out is usually the prognosis are good. Could you help me understand why? What if they find nothing? Is all this for prevention? Thanks for your time. I was originally diagnosed 26 years ago in , I started treatment for reoccurence in Exact same cancer second time around and not having much success with treatment till this point.
Hopefully things take a more positive move soon. Sandy, I wish you good luck. They need to stop the sleeper cells. I was told once a tumor is. I am a cancer survivor, 16 years ago I had a lumpectomy with radiation and chemo, the tumor was 1. A needle biopsy and ultrasound revealed it to be about 1. My 42 year old daughter just had her first mammogram and she has ductal carcinoma situ. Since this is her first mammogram, how can they tell how long it has been there.
Could the mammogram show anything other than the milk duct the xray showed. Does this type of cancer grow slowly, What if she has had this cancer in her for a few years, since the very first mammo showed the ductal carcinoma. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, very worried Mom. I had a normal mamagram in Im mad at the a e that ask me to leave. Wgen did it change? If I had cancer 3 years is it curable. I dont even know for sure its cancer. They are do iij ng a biopsy July 8.
Wish me luck. I love life and I dont want th o go. This article was exactly describing my recent diagnosis of brast cancer. It was so helpful. BUT because of this covid virus was cancelled. Now I am worried how much longer will I have to wait?
This is so frustrating. Jean V. Toronto I am an active senior feeling good at this time. I have stage 1 her2 negative no cancer found in the 7 lymph nodes found Do I still need Radiation. I did complete hysterectomy and my oncologist advice me to use Tamoxifen 20 mg in the next 5 years. My question for you Doctor is what are the benefits of Tamoxifen if I don have ovaries? Please, explain to me, I am confused. Thank you for the great info since I was just diagnosed with early breast cancer and do not tolerate drugs very well!
I also have type 2 diabetes! Removed all stress triggers from my life. DCIS diagnosis in March , followed by lumpectomy with sentinel nodesry lymph. Follow up was to be an aromatase inhibitor and radiation therapy, but instead I followed a naturopathic protocol of Indole 3 Carbinol, green tea, Essiac tea, vitamin C i. Every 6 month follow up Ultrasound showed I was cancer free.
I just had my annual mammogram and I missed last year and the mammogram place called and left a message saying they were the docter at the mammogram place and I need to make an appointment next week I am a nurse at sunnybrook and I am nervous because I always get letters saying everything is okay.
I now feel a lump I hope the stage is only 2 if you can feel it. What would be the next step after comfirmation? My wife has been diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer and sent me the link to this article. Both of us found it very helpful and informative.
It is extremely well written and addresses many of the questions that we have. We wish our cancer treatment facility had a personal health navigator! I am so happy to have found this information as I am 69 years old and diagnose DC with RBC, not sure of type yet but between cm, no suspicious lymph node yet. Is there a book that may help better understand this disease? Thank you. Which province should she move to in order to get a treatment that is integrative?
She is refusing chemo without enzymatic tests and here in Quebec she cannot get a doctor to prescribe such tests. I am afraid she is going to die if she waits too long. The cancer is stage 3. This was very helpful but, what is the life expectancy for a woman diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer? Three axillary lymph nodes were removed and all clean as well.
Tumors were 2. Please respond. I feel relieve and understand with your explanation… Thank you so much and God bless…. Very useful information, I learned so much from it. I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma in May, I am 73 years old and had a bilateral mastectomy. My lymph nodes were clear. What is the outcome for the IDC spreading in other areas of my body and what is my life expectancy knowing the IDC could come back somewhere else. I was Stage 1 at the time my diagnosis was made.
I found that most helpful and has massively helped me after I discovered a lump and am waiting to see my go. I have stage 2b with double massectomy including 4 positive lumps it was lobelular Her 2 pos.
I have done 6 months chemo ,now 25 radiation treatments. I want to understand my statistics better can you help me. I had a mammogram Oct. Please……I need answers which I am getting from my Health Provider. When I have asked questions why I was not followed up in Oct. Please, please provide explanations why I was not followed up in Oct. Thank you so much. Thank you for this article , for me it was very informative. Your reply was sadly very vague……someone please explain further why I did not receive the follow up immediately in Oct.
Thank you….. Beverly Marking. I am a two year cancer survivor on Letrozole. And is there any food products she must avoid and she can eat to help in the curing of breast cancer? I am grateful for this clear explanation of early cancer. My journey with breast cancer has covered four decades, the last 20 years of which have been free of breast cancer. I had stage1 breast cancer and had surgery on January, — and 20 treatments of radiation — now the doctor said I need a bioposy for something they see under my arm — could this be cancer — it has been just 1 year — where do I stand.
Hello everyone, i am 31 years old and i have just detected a lumo on my left breast just as i have experienced pain recently. I am hoping that this can be healed immediately and i hope this is not bad news.
Please pray for me for i have family to support. I will be going to my doctor tomorrow and i hope there will be a good chance of treatment without surgeries or other fearful things…thank you. I just found out that I have breast cancer they can not do surgery u til the middle of October. I also am supposed to have knee surgery the 24th of September and not sure what I should do.
I feel any discussion of breast cancer that only looks at 5 year statistics is doing a disservice to a women or man that is diagnosed. The fact is that early stage cancers have risk of recurrence for 20 years. I did surgery, radiation and 5 years of AI. I did have a scare in my 2nd year I was told recurrences happen 2 or 3 years. I take for granted all the local medical testing. I would like more information about the 10 year survival rate.
I do know women with a recurrence after 8 years. The feeling of fear is slightly relieve. I was diagnosed with DC and still waiting the final diagnosis…Im really scared. Why is it necessary to take tamoxifen after a double mastectomy? If there is no breast tissue, how can there be a risk of recurring breast cancer? I am having radiation 15 sessions for breast cancer, which was grade 3.
Doctor said it was successful. My cancer was malignant.. I am 72 years old. Can the cancer come again please? I am taking Letrezole tablets. Thank you Frances. This article is much too optimistic and glosses over a very simple fact that since the death rate of women from breast cancer was So no matter how you slice and dice the statistics this one fact alone is irrefutable and sad.
Hi My wife was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. Invasive carcinoma grade 3 of 3 Infiltrative ductal carcinoma of right breast.
Breast was totally removed. Lymph nodes not affected. Thank you for your clearly understood direct, easy to understand information about breast cancer!!! I hope to follow more of your communications!!! I had a lump in my left breast so I went and got it checked out.
I had a mammogram and a ultrasound a couple days ago. Initially my doctor thought it was just the cysts that I usually have in my breasts but it felt different to me. I was told I needed a biopsy becausd the ultrasound showed a mass and the ultrasound tech said my lymph nodes were swollen under my armpit.
What do you think it is, I will get my biopsy Monday. FYI my maternal grandmother had breast cancer in her left breast and left lymph node under her armpit. This is a great article. My mother is diagnosed with breast cancer DCIS a month ago in right breast.
She had a lumpectomy with axillary lymph nodes dissection. The tumor is 2 cm with margins clear with margins clear and all 18 nodes are cancer negative. BUT its triple negative. Her chemotherapy is going on and after that they will give radiation therapy to her. But she is really worried of reccurence anywhere in the body. What are the chances that it will never occur again? Will she be alright? Thanks for this good info confirmation that eating nutritional foods, exercise play very important part in your healing journey.
Conventional treatment is changing for the better of the patients. Performing lumpectomy said might b too much worried after biopsy three weeks now severe pain. What r the changes of spreading to the other breast? I completed the surgery they did a lumpectomy and removed 5 lymp nodes.
They are suggesting 1 year of chemo and 4 months of radiation. Hi Jennifer, I would love to know what you chose as your treatment. I just had skin sparing bilateral mast. Now I have to decide about what to do for treatment. I dont want to do any chemo or radiation treatments. Michelle yahoo. Thank you! Hello I been diagnosed I have cancer in my milk duct.. And my doctor recommended me to have surgery and they can take it out.. How can this be cured without surgery… Plz help..
I asked a question over a year ago. No response to date. Whoever is in charge of this site does not seem to care. Why did I ever waste my time asking my questions!! Or that I was making up that I had advanced breast cancer, perhaps as a sympathy ploy or for attention. And it can happen to anyone.
In my case, it had spread before I ever felt a lump. I felt it Saturday and saw my doc on Monday, I ignored nothing, sometimes it just happens that fast. Yup, that means you are vulnerable too. But like earlier-stage breast cancers, stage IV cancers can have different characteristics that will guide treatment choices.
These test results guide treatment choices. For triple-negative stage IV cancers — meaning they test negative for hormone receptors and an abnormal HER2 gene — testing for PD-L1 is becoming more common.
The bottom line? Treatments vary. Not true. Breast cancer is still breast cancer, wherever it travels in the body. However, the characteristics of the cells can change over time. For example, a breast cancer that tested negative for hormone receptors or an abnormal HER2 gene might test positive when it moves to another part of the body, or vice versa positive can become negative. Ninety percent of MBC diagnoses occur in people who have already been treated for an earlier-stage breast cancer.
However, distant recurrences can occur several years or even decades after initial diagnosis. Factors such as original tumor size and the number of lymph nodes involved can help predict the risk of recurrence. I fell for that one myself. I thought I was cured, which to me means all better. They know they will be in treatment for the rest of their lives. Mentally and emotionally, people with MBC have a completely different experience.
Fortunately, more and more people with MBC are speaking up and calling attention to how their experience differs from that of people with earlier-stage breast cancer.
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