reccurance - and tamoxifen

Going through breast cancer treatment Hormone therapy
1

Hi

I November last year I found a lump in my right breast, it was 22cm, grade 3 but not in lymph.

I had a mastectomy 1 week before my 50 birthday, and my oncotype score was 14, so no chemo, on tamoxifen.

Has anybody had a recurrence if the original cancer has not spread to lymph nodes.

Also reading bits on tamoxifen, chances are slim it will not come back in 5 years, but more of chance 15 years down the line.

symptoms are not great struggling to take and sometimes do not see benefit…

Sorry if this sounds negative, I am a nurse practitioner so I would tell my patients to take it.

but am struggling my self 

thanks mandy

2

Hi. Sorry to hear you are struggling a bit. I didn’t know whether to answer your question or not about recurrence as I wouldn’t want to worry you. I was diagnosed with primary breast cancer age 26. The tumour was over 4cm and grade 3. All my lymph nodes were clear. I had a mastectomy, chemo, radiotherapy and then hormone therapy for 2 years. Then last year I was diagnosed with secondary BC with spread to my lungs and bones, age 42. That was after around a year of extreme pain. So my BC came back around 14 years after my original diagnosis even with no nodes involved. Hope that answers your question but doesn’t make you feel overly anxious xx 

3

Hi Mandy, I’m so sorry that you also had a recurrence, it feels so unfair when we feel we have done the ‘right’ thing. After I had a lumpectomy and sentinel biopsy results showed the cancer hadn’t spread to my lymph nodes and I had five weeks of radiotherapy and Tamoxifen. I really battled with it too with bad leg and feet cramps (tonic water helped), sweats and aches. Unfortunately my husband was almost killed in an accident seven weeks after my radiotherapy finished and spent a long time in hospital and Rehab. When I had recurrence 16 months after radiotherapy finished I was devastated. I’d found three lumps under my arm on the same side. Auxiliary node clearance revealed cancer. I then had chemo followed by radiotherapy and am on Aromisin. I truly feel that the stress, fatigue and sadness I experienced with my husband’s accident and ongoing disabilities triggered my recurrence rather than the Tamoxifen failing. I wish you all the very best of care xx