I have just been told that a lady I know has been diagnosed with BC at the same time as myself. She was also Oestrogen positive and was given hormone tablets on the day of diagnosis and had an operation yesterday. I am worried as I have not been offered hormone tablets despite the same diagnosis and my mastectomy is not until 18th Feb. Should I be worried? (we are treated at the same hospital).
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Hi Sue, I would imagine that, despite both being er+, this lady’s tumour was larger than yours and probably a different, higher grade. Sometimes, in order to be able to do a lumpectomy rather than a mastectomy when faced with a large tumour, the surgeon suggests shrinking the tumour by starving it of the estrogen it feeds on. This is called neo-adjuvant treatment. It is not uncommon however in the majority of cases, the tumour is taken out first, subject to rigorous testing and then the adjuvant (as opposed to neo-adjuvant) treatment is confirmed. In er+ cases, this will almost always include estrogen suppression drugs like Tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor like Letrozole. I had an er+ tumour and didn’t get estrogen suppression tablets until after surgery. It is nothing for you to worry about.
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Thankyou. This makes so much sense. 
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As @Tigress says there are different factors as to why people are given oestrogen suppressant tablets and when. I was diagnosed in May 2023 and didn’t start my oestrogen suppressant Letrozole until January 2024 after having surgery, chemo,Herceptin ( which did continue til Sept 24) and radiotherapy .
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Thankyou. I have so much to learn on this journey. Everyone’s treatment is so different.
Back in 1987 when my mum passed away from BC. it seemed to be just mastectomy or lumpectomy then chemotherapy or radiotherapy. 
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I’m so sorry that you lost your Mum to this disease @sue9. Luckily for us, research into breast cancer in the intervening years has been relentless so there are many new treatments available to us and the rate of increased survival is testament to that success. Research doesn’t stop, however, so that future generations will have an even greater chance of a cure. You were absolutely right to ask the question regarding the difference in treatment approach and hopefully you now see that things aren’t always as scary as they appear. Good luck with your surgery and continuing treatment plan, I hope that this whole thing is in the rearview mirror in the near future.
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@sue9 I had Anastrozole from diagnosis until WLE but that was as part of a trial that I signed up for.
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I’m sorry you lost your mum to BC, it must be very hard for you now. But as @Tigress says so much has changed.
I know a lady in her late 70s who had BC in her mid 30s and had a mastectomy with no other treatment. I’m sure her treatment would be different now.
Please know that there is always someone to talk to on the BCN helpline 0808 800 6000.
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Thankyou, there is so much warmth and good advice here. It helps so much.
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Everyone is treated individually, I got given the tamoxifen on biopsy results day. Could be as premenstrual, who knows? Scans are not as accurate as when you have had the surgery, so whether it did any good or not is hard to say, but it was a bitbigger than it had been thought to be. Could it have still grown during the month wait for surgery, despite having taken the tamoxifen? I’ll never know, but it didnt make it smaller. Complicated by being her2+, since read that its less effective to just treat 1 out of 2 receptors, cells can just grow via her2 instead. Never offered herceptin as a rare low grade. When the side-effects of tamoxifen kicked in, it seemed less vital to take it if it wasn’t going to work so well without herceptin.
Is your friend premenstrual? I started taking it after my period, when I knew oestrogen would be on the rise, just the thought of the hormons acting on it while still there spurred me on.
Ultimately, guidelines are just that, and are not necessarily followed for othernuanced reasons, such can be the idividuL nature of BC, there are so many types, and odd variations that dont fit typical types.
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Hi @sue9 I was given Letrozole on diagnosis as a drug trial but only because I fit a specific criteria. I think most women are given the meds post surgery as the next step but your surgeon should be able to advise you on that one. Sending hugs
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Thankyou. Not a good day today, stressing myself as operation is approaching…
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Hi
I wasn’t given letrozole until I saw the oncologist before radiotherapy, so a good 2-3 months after my operation and onco test.
Hope all goes well for you
Xx
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Thankyou.
@sue9 do nice things beforehand.I went to a pop concert 2 days before my surgery and made sure I had a b****y good time. I know it won’t help you, but my mastectomy and immediate silicone implant wasn’t as bad as I imagined and I was surprised at how well I felt immediately after. It’s scary as you don’t know if that’ll be the end of it but you are in good hands. xxx
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I’ll organise something for the weekend! Thankyou. 
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xxxYes thankyou, I did. Weekend well spent, beach walks and family and friends time. Stressing a little now. Have to be in hospital by 7.30 a. m. so early night, although probably not much sleep.
Thankyou @irenko x
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