Question
 

Hi All

I was wondering...when it is said that your risk of recurrence decreases after 5, 10 years etc....when exactly do you start counting the years? A year after diagnosis? A year after chemo? Rads? A year after you complete Herceptin??

Thanks
Leah

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Good question, Leah.

Karen

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I started after my mastectomy, no cancer after surgery.

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Yeah, I decided to start counting after my masectomy too because it made sense, but I don't know for sure either. If the Alflac lady comes in soon I will ask her because I can buy cancer insurance after 5 years.

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Linn65 - let me know what the AFLAC lady says - I'm curious too.

The risk of recurrence is decreased by each treatment, and has a pattern that peaks at different times depending on subtypes. With new FDA approvals for cancer treatment it is tricky to keep up with this.

We can also decrease risk of recurrence with a healthy diet, exercise, meditation, etc. Or increase it with a poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, pesticides, etc.

I think a practical way of thinking of this is to start counting the point that you became NED as day 1 - which is typically the date of surgery (lumpectomy or mastectomy). If an Axillary Node Dissection is done at a later date that would be Day 1.

Each time you have treatment it decreases your risk of recurrence. So Surgery done - big sigh of relief. Chemo treatment - check, risk reduced, Herceptin treatment - reduced risk, radiation - reduced risk.

Many times it is easier to explain the reduction as linear. But Hopeful's post about a study on subtypes in early cancer showed a peak in her2 recurrences at approx. 20 months and 5 - 7 years.

I'm hoping that these studies bring a fresh look to the management of follow up and that in the next few years we can either receive a vaccine or Herceptin boosters.

I had heard that at the 5 year mark our risk of cancer equals the general population.

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Herceptin booster! What a concept!

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I also go from the date the cancer was successfully removed but my oncologist said they start from date of diagnosis. For me it is only a week difference so I celebrate them both.

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I started my count the day I had my bilateral mastectomy.

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I start from my surgery date also. So I am two years out now but still not convinced it's gone. Will I ever feel safe?

On the AFLAC note, I bought the cancer insurance 10 years ago and when I was diagnosed in October of 2010 I was able to collect. Let me tell you that it is the best insurance out there! They paid for my initial diagnosis, $300 every time I sat in the chemo chair, surgery reimbursement, many other pay outs. It is well worth the monthly fee and hope that you can get the coverage when eligible.

Jessica

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Officially disease free survival and overall survival are measured from date of diagnosis for research studies. This probably was chosen decades ago and just kept being used.

Some other measures are from date of complete tumor removal. See the link below.

https://wiki.nci.nih.gov/display
/CRF/Outcome+Measures+Glossary

Aussie Girl

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I guess this is even more muddy for us neoadjuvant girls

Jessica - 3 years out is a milestone for her2's