Home Search SiteMap Contact Us Forum Videos Store Physician Board
printer friendly versionprint thisemail to a friendemail this
About Breast Cancer Recurrence
The following is a list of questions to ask your doctor About Breast Cancer Recurrence  as well as tips for preparing for these conversations.

What are my chances that breast cancer will recur?

Breast cancer can return in the same breast, the other breast, in nearby lymph nodes (localized breast cancer recurrence), or in other tissues in the body (metastasis). There is no way to predict who will have recurrent breast cancer, but some cancers are more likely to return than others. Your chance of recovery will depend on your age, general state of health, characteristics of your tumor such as its size and hormone receptor status, lymph node involvement, and the presence of an abnormal breast cancer gene. Hormone receptor-positive cancers tend to grow less aggressively and may respond favorably to anti-estrogen therapies.

How You Can Prepare for this Discussion

  • Consider your feelings about long-term treatment
  • Know your tumor stage, hormone receptor status, gene status and lymph node involvement

What type of follow-up tests will I need?

Treatment often follows initial surgery and may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and/or hormonal therapy. To be sure that the cancer has not returned after treatment has been completed, your checkups may include physical exams, mammograms, blood tests, chest X-rays and bone scans.

How You Can Prepare for this Discussion

  • Know your hormone receptor status
  • Know the stage of your disease at diagnosis
  • Know if your tumor has tested positive for an abnormal gene
  • Know how many lymph nodes were positive for cancer
  • Keep a three ring binder for all your lab and test results

How will I know my breast cancer has returned?

Some breast cancers are more likely to recur than others. Typically, surgery to remove the breast tumor is followed by adjuvant therapy to prevent recurrence, but some cancers are more aggressive than others and may come back. Your treatment team may recommend periodic tests such as X-rays, mammograms, blood work, and bone scans. Continue to perform breast self-exams and report any breast changes to your doctor.

How You Can Prepare for this Discussion

  • Let your doctor know if you notice any unusual changes in your treated breast or in your other breast
  • Note if you have any swollen lymph glands
  • Tell your treatment team if you have any pain, particularly bone pain, or other symptoms <
  • Note any changes in the appearance, size, shape, or contour of the breast

How would a recurrence be treated?

Treatment will depend on where the recurrence is located and your prior treatment. If breast cancer is found in the other breast, it may be a new tumor unrelated to the first breast cancer. Treatment may include the following:
  • Surgery—breast conserving lumpectomy, modified mastectomy, radical mastectomy to remove the tumor and/or neighboring tissue
  • Radiation therapy—high energy X-ray beams that keep cells from growing and dividing in the breast or lymph nodes
  • Chemotherapy—drugs given through the blood stream to kill or stop the growth of cancer cells
  • Hormonal therapy—used to treat hormone receptor-positive breast cancers by limiting the amount of estrogen circulating in the body
  • Biologic Therapy—used to treat people whose breast cancers overexpress the HER2 gene

How You Can Prepare for this Discussion

  • Let your doctor know if you have had surgery to remove your ovaries or if you are in menopause
  • List the side effects you experienced with past treatments
  • Bring a list of all the treatments you received in the past
printer friendly versionprint thisemail to a friendemail this
CONDITIONS
Acne
ADHD
Alopecia (Hair Loss)
ALS
Alzheimer's Disease
Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)
Anemia
Angina
Ankle Injuries
Aortic Stenosis
Arthritis-General
Asthma
Athlete's Foot
Autism
Back Pain
Bell's Palsy
Bipolar Disorder
Bladder Control
BPH/Enlarged
Prostate
Breast Cancer
Bronchitis
Bruxism
Bunions
Calluses
Cancer Pain
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Cataracts
Cerebral Palsy
Chest Pain
Chlamydia/NGU
Chronic Cough
Chronic Pain
Colon Cancer
Color Vision Deficiency
Common Cold
Congestive Heart Failure
Corns
Cystic Fibrosis
Dementia
Depression
Dermatitis (Eczema)
Diabetes
Endocarditis
Epilepsy/Seizures
Erectile Dysfunction
Female Sexual Dysfunction
Fibromyalgia
Genital Herpes
Genital Warts
Glaucoma
Gout
Headache
Heart Attack
Heart Disease
Heel Pain
Hematuria
Hepatitis
High Cholesterol
HIV & AIDS
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Incontinence
Ingrown Toenails
Insomnia
Interstitial Cystitis
Jet Lag
Kidney Cancer
Kidney Stones
Leukemia
Lung Cancer
Lupus
Lyme Disease
Macular Degeneration
Menopause
Migraine
Moles (Nevi)
Multiple Sclerosis
Neuropathy
Newborn Skin
Obstructive Sleep
Apnea (OSA)
Osteoarthritis
Osteoporosis
Overactive Bladder
Parkinson's Disease
Pelvic Inflammatory
Disease (PID)
Pharyngitis (Sore Throat)
Plantar Warts
PMS
Premature Ejaculation
Prostate Cancer
Psoriasis
Rash
Refractive Errors & Vision
Running Injuries
Shift Work & Sleep
Sinusitis
Skin Cancer
Sleep Stages
Stroke
Tear Duct Obstruction
Thyroid Cancer
Urinary Incontinence
Urinary Tract
Infection (UTI)
Vertigo
Yeast Infection
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Alcohol Abuse
Contraception
Meditation
Narcotic Abuse
Nutrition
Obesity/Overweight
Pregnancy & Nutrition
Smoking
Stress