AI’s after 10 years?
It has been many years since I checked in but it’s so wonderful to see how much this thread has grown! I remember clinging to the hope here when I was first diagnosed, and now am myself more than 13 years out from my stage 3 diagnosis!
My question for this wise group is how many of you have remained on an AI for more than 10 years, and what do your doctors tell you about the risk of continuing vs not? I did tamoxifen for a year and have been on letrozole for almost 12 years. My instinct is to stay on it, but at my annual visit yesterday my provider told me that if you stay on indefinitely you can actually start to build a resistance, so if your cancer ever comes back it might not work as a front line treatment. I hadn’t heard that before and am wondering if other have? What have been your thoughts about stopping vs continuing?
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Maybe I’m not looking in the right place, but I was hoping to find more comments about your question. My doc who is internationally known and at a major Cancer center has left the decision up to me. I have been on an AI for 17 years as my only treatment after chemo , surgery,and radiation.
I hope others who have 10 years will have something to contribute either from their experience or from what their physicians have told them.
And at what point does that happen? I have actually wondered about that because many women who need further treatment will have been on an AI for at least 5, or 10 years.
it actually has practical implications as well because exemestane is extremely expensive and makes me have to carry a very high part D plan.
I also wonder if insurance will stop covering it because the usual protocol is for 10 years.
There are other consequences to taking an AI. There may be cardiac and macular degeneration is associated with prolonged use.
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