I know it’s early days yet as I only started taking anastrozole at the end of June 2012, but I’m wondering if it just “doesn’t work” for some women. To cut a long story short I’m 61 years old and had a left mx in November 2011 followed by chemo and rads. I nagged the surgeon to remove my right breast as a risk reducing measure and he did the surgery on 12th November this year. He was confident he was removing healthy tissue as I had an MRI scan before my first surgery and I also had a mammogram at the end of October this year, so he didn’t bother looking at the lymph nodes. To his surprise and mine, when they tested the tissue they found a 13mm diameter lobular tumour in my ‘healthy’ breast so I’ve just had another op to do right axillary node sampling. I’m waiting now to find out if the cancer has spread beyond the breast. The surgeon asked if I was taking hormone tablets and when I said I was on anastrozole he frowned and said I’d have to discuss further treatment with the oncologist but that probably I’d need to be put on different tablets. The tumour showed to be stongly ER+. I’m all confused - I’m assuming it was probably too small to show up on the MRI scan in 2011 but it must have been there but just didn’t show up on the mammogram a few weeks ago, then I’ve started worrying that it was originally bigger but the anastrozole has shrunk it a bit. Any comments would be much appreciated.
Pauline xx
Hi Pauline, so sorry to hear of your new Dx, but good that it has been picked up so you can get it treated as early as poss, good luck with your results ,will be keeping everything crossed for you. I have also been through something simular in that i had a new primary develope in my opposite breast in March this yr whilst still takeing Anastrozole, i was due to finish the tabs in feb 2013.
After my new Dx and the main treatments, i was taken off Anastrozole (as it didnt work for me either ,or wonder maybe like you that it might have held it back a bit ,who knows) and was put back on Tamoxifen , you could either be perscribed Tamox or Aromasin ,Tamox is for both pre and post menopausal women, while Aromasin is only for post menopausal women. I have also been on Aromasin in the past for my first primary, but was switched to anastrozole due to the SEs ( bad odema in my feet.). I expect your onc will likely change your hormone tabs as you have now had a new cancer whilst still taking anastrozole.
So sorry you have had this new shock, i know how you you must be feeling right now, big hugs to you.
Linda x 