Just caught a Glimpse of newspaper headlines for 8th july, shown on BBCnews and noticed Jennifer Saunders is having treatment for breast cancer. Hope this is not another celeb who tries to make out it’s no worse than flu. Perhaps I am being unfair. I wish her all the luck in the world. Anyone heard this news or am I living on the planet ZOG.
Corsa
I just hope that this is not another person who has to face and deal with breast cancer. Famous or not … it doesn’t matter … life is hard for them and their families.
Big hugs and best wishes - P xox
Hi Corsa
Didn’t see the news but I do hope that she is someone who will be totally upfront about the reality of this disease - it’s not flu!!
I’m sure you are not on planet ZOG although I think the media is about breast cancer!!!
Will watch her response with interst but obviously wish her all the best and hope she brings some honesty into the debate.
Anne x
There’s a reasonable story about it at
dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1292958/Jennifer-Saunders-given-clear-good-spirits.html
I am very sorry to hear that Jennifer Saunders has had breast cancer, but have a question hopefully someone will be able to answer.
How come the media are saying she has been given the ‘all clear’ having just finished her treatment? Has this happened to anyone else? I’ve asked my oncologist to give me the ‘all clear’ after 2 year but he says he can’t and says I’m in ‘remission’ or ‘living with cancer’ even though I’m currently cancer free (but taking hormone treatment). Can you be given the ‘all clear’ so early with a particular type of Breast cancer or is it Media exaggeration?
Unfortunately this seems to be the way the media deal with cancer. Once the main treatment has finished they report that the person has been given the ‘all clear’ In fact a couple of years ago on here there was a thread about the adverts that one cancer charity used on TV - again giving the ‘all clear’ message - very misleading. At this stage in research and treatment I don’t think there is an ‘all clear’ although this is where all the research is aiming for. The best expression is ‘NED’ No Evidence of Disease or as you onc says ‘in remission’. As is proven on the secondaries part of the forum (of which I am now part of) you can be ‘cancer free’ for many years but it can still come back and bite you in the bum!
Having said that I wish everyone who has had primary BC including Jennifer Saunders gets on with their lives not dwelling on the fact it could come back, it most likely wont.
Nicky
Yes I too wish Jennifer Saunders all the very best. The media tailor stories and add ‘friends’ comments to suit them. x
I, too, was wondering about the “given the all clear” after treatment finishes, does that mean when I finish my chemo the cancer will have disappeared forever? This is not the impression my medical team has given me and does not reflect any bc information I have come across?
Good Luck to Jennifer and her family.
Nicky, I think you are quite right.
Tina
Hi all,
I just want to say that my friend had bc last year, she has gone through surgery, 8 sessions of chemo and 15 radiotherapy, now 12 months on from dx her Onc told her last week, as far as he is concerned she is cured - all gone !, not remission or all clear but cured - I can’t tell you how releived she was, here I am at the start, recovering from node clearance at the mo, due to start my chemo on 26th july then radiotherapy, but look forward to hearing the words “you are cured” in 12 months time (or 5 years after the tamoxifen) as we have the same Onc.
I want to wish Jenifer, her family and everyone else with any form of cancer all the best
Tracey xxxxx
Daily Telegraph - “Jennifer Saunders wins breast cancer battle.”
Daily Mirror - “JS has won her secret battle with cancer.”
The Sun - “JS wins secret breast cancer battle.”
Independent - “JS given cancer all-clear.”
Daily Mail - JS has fought and won a battle with breast cancer."
I think we can blame her publicist/agent for this. They have obviously released a statement and the papers have just regurgitated it.
Surely nobody actually believes that you can get an all clear 9 months after diagnosis? She only finished treatment last month.
Even the 5 year benchmark is pretty spurious given that this disease can hang about for years - decades even - waiting to rear up.
BC really is the gift that keeps on giving.
I have read a report which said JS was very ill on chemo. When she is ready to speak - IF she is ever read to speak about it - let’s hope we get some honesty about her experience with this disease.
She’s a good 'un Ms Saunders - but she needs to give her PR a smack though.
Couldn’t agree more re her PR agent and the ridiculous statements that are put out regarding her “cure”, far to soon to be even saying that she has NED yet. I do hope that she has a positive outcome as I hope all of us on this forum have whatever stage of the disease you are at.
Hi Tracey, I think it is very wrong of your Oncologist to say cured.As we all know this may not be the case.My Ocologist told me at the beginning of treatment that “we are going for a cure here” BUT he added that no Oncologist would say you are cured even years after as breast cancer is so unpredictable .Of course the more years that go by NED the more we can hope we are cured.
Mel XX
Absolutely Mel. That is a naughty onc.
As Dr Susan Love says - “we know that many women are cured in that they will ultimately die of something that isn’t BC - trouble is we don’t know which ones.”
My onc said “I really hope you are cured but we have no idea what will happen in the future. Maybe you will die of this disease maybe you won’t. But as things currently stand you have had all the available treatment - there is nothing else we can do to prevent recurrence so just go and live your life.”
After all, nobody knows what the future holds.
msmolly - Can I ask how long after you finished treatment did your onc say this to you?
Ann x
When I asked my onc about the possibility of being cured, he said ‘come back in 20 years and I’ll tell you’.
I was also wondering about the “all clear” after less than a year. It sounds as though papers have made of it what they will. Normally it’s at least five years or so from what I understand.
Saying that, this is in no disrespect to Jennifer and I wish her and her family all the best during this painful time.
Yes, I believe it takes about 20 years before our chances of getting breast cancer are the same as somebody who has never had it. However after five the chances of a recurrence drop a lot, and keep dropping every year.
Sarah
Some Oncs, not mine thank goodness, do try to be a paternal/maternal figure and will try their best not to worry their patients…albeit out of kindness.
But how come when this disease which gets so much press, ‘awareness campaigns’ etc the ‘all clear’ is still trotted out by the likes of the Daily Mail?
Will it ever change? I very much doubt it. …x
I’ve always thought that if any cancer hasn’t returned in 20yrs, then you’re probably cured.
SarahAL - Nice to hear that if you make it to 5yrs, then the chances of it occurring drop a lot.
Ann - he told me that the day I finished rads - which is when he also signed me off. Seeing him obviously wouldn’t stop the cancer from returning so unless I felt a need to see him for psychological reasons then we could say farewell. I am not sure if he will contact me when my 5 years of Arimidex is up.
The amount that risk of recurrence drops past 5 years is entirely dependent on individual prognosis. For women with triple neg, the 5 year benchmark is much more significant than for ER+ women as ER+ cancers linger much longer in the system and are much more likely to flare again in old age when immunity begins to decline. It is my understanding that after (I think) 7 years TN women are in a very good position. The 5 year thing is so random - there are plenty of women with 2ndaries who developed mets 6, 7, 8 years after primary dx.