Letrozole effectiveness long term
I just posted on another thread that, after 14 years since initial diagnosis, I now have a single suspicious supraclavicular lymph node diagnosed on annual ultrasound.
I have been taking Letrozole daily since 2011 up until about a month or two ago. I just became lazy taking several meds.
I am wondering if this new finding is related to cessation of medication and whether it is possible to turn things around by resuming medication if, in fact, the node is positive for BC on biopsy?
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An enlarged lymph node can be due to inflammation or infection as well as cancer. Without a biopsy and diagnosis there is no way of knowing what the treatment, if any, should be. A month or two off letrozole probably wouldn't make a big difference but if it were a recurrence of ER+ bc letrozole would reduce the amount of estrogen available to fuel it. If the decision to stop AIs was not conscious on your part there would be no harm (and maybe some benefit) in resuming the letrozole. I hope the node returns to normal size or ends up as benign. All the best.
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In addition to what Maggie noted, AI’s don’t come with a guarantee. People can and do recur when on this treatment.
A suspicious lymph node is just that and shy of a biopsy and dx, it would be impossible to simply guess what it might be. As far as turning things around, neither Letrozole nor any other AI, does that. They do not cure breast cancer but simply shut down estrogen production which fuels bc growth/spread in ER+ positive cancers. Take care
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