aromatase inhibitor/hormone therapy?
I had a lympectomy 2 weeks ago, the findings were that it was not in my lymph nodes, her 2 negative, 4 mm, stage 1A, I am 69, my cancer is considered a lazy cancer with a low risk of recurrance and is not aggressive. My oncologist said I dont need to have hormone therapy, but with therapy it would give me more reassurance it wouldnt recurr, but nothing is for sure. I am contemplating back and forth should i be on a pill for 5 years with side effects, or not. I also have osteoporosis which the hormone therapy drugs are not good for. Thank you. Just curious if anyone opted not to do the aromatase inhibitor drugs and are doing well, years later.
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I was 62 and opted not to do it but that was only 3 1/2 years ago. I took anastrozole for a few months while awaiting surgery (it was at the start of Covid) and had terrible side effects. I asked the oncologist was my risk of metastasis was with vs without an AI - it was 3% with, 6% without so I decided to roll the dice. If I was 10 years or more younger I’d have tried different AIs in hopes of finding one I could tolerate.
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so are you saying if you take an AI the recurrance rate is basically 3 percent better vs. not taking it? To me thats not such a big difference and needing to deal with potential blood clots, and all sorts of possible things coming up in a 5 year period.
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Hello! I am in a very similar situation as you are, ilovethebeach18 and similar age. I'm curious as to what you've decided? I talk to the oncologist about the hormone therapy tomorrow. I'm fairly sure I don't want to take it as the change it makes in reducing risk is very small. I'm concerned this will be a difficult discussion with the doctor.
Kay
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Please note that risk reduction offered by an AI is dependent on the individual. In general AI’s are thought to reduce risk of recurrence by about 50% (relative risk reduction). So if it is determined your risk of recurrence is 6%, use of the AI will reduce that to 3% (absolute risk reduction). If your risk of recurrence is 20% the AI will reduced the risk to around 10%. And yes, use of an AI can affect your bone density. Best to discuss your individual circumstances with your oncologist. It’s your body and you make the final decision to take or not take an AI.
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Interesting. I just left my oncologist yesterday. I am Stage 1A, Grade 1, ER+, PR+, HER2- and awaiting surgery next month. I originally was adamant about having a DMX but now, with info and research, I've decided on lumpectomy. That said, oncology did say hormone therapy was not a choice. He said it's needed for sure for 5 years, possibly 10. Side effects he mentioned were "I get to go through menopause AGAIN"…oh joy, that was not a fun 5+ years. I can get through the hot flashes again. What I'm most concerned about is the bone density and joint pain (I am not a fan of pain in any way). I'll be researching more and discussing with multiple oncologists before I go down this road. All said, a cancer reoccurrence and going through all this again is not a pleasant thought.
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