Breast Cancer Now Forum

Hi TypicalME,   I think I got your question slightly wrong the first time. This is what my BCN said: 6 is still pretty high, but even with a score of 2 we would get hormones. You have not got me worried, don't worry. There is nothing we can do about our pathology reports anyway - and I am not sure a score of 8 is necessarily better news.   Yes RoadRunner - it's  the estrogen in those nast fatty cells aromatase inhibitors tackle, isn't it? Would be nice to understand the chemistry behind it, but I fear it's beyond me :).   night night       ... View more

Hi TypicalMe,   Yes I am grade 3, as well :(.    I get zoladex (as I am strictly speaking not menopausal yet, so they make me 10 years older artificially 🙂 ) and exemestane, which like yours is an aromatase inhibitor. They are supposed to be more effective than Tamoxifen, though don't work in premenopausal women for some reason. As for the effectiveness altogether - who knows - I suppose none of us is really safe, but we just have to hope for the best. NHS online tool predict can tell you more about the effectiveness of hormone (endocrine) therapy - if you want to know that is, they give you a 5 and ten year prognosis based on your personal data and tell you with a coloured bar what helps and how effective it is.   Hope that helps x           ... View more

Hi all,   I have read posts on this forum for a while but only now started to actively post, so I guess I am one of the newbies, too (stage 2B, ER6, PR5, HER2+, 28 mm, 1 lymph node involved - so a middle of the road diagnosis, could have been better, could have been worse). Like everybody else here I have good days and bad days, but generally I feel it's getting better (5months from active treatment). Work and exercise have helped me most - and I do not mind badgering my GP (who luckily is very understanding) with any aches and pains :). Onwards and upwards, eh, ladies? We have gone through so much already, we will doubtlessly manage to get through our post treatment anxieties, as well. x ... View more

Don't know if that helps: I just go to Germany roughly every three months for check ups. They alternate between mammogram and ultrasound every 3 months or so, so you have each every 6 months. In the beginning I also had an ultrasound of abdomen and bone scan to exclude metastases to the most common sites (liver and bones) - they had x-rayed lungs here - though the other ladies are right in my opinion: extra radiation for the bone scan is a risk - (same would be true for CT and PET) - still the peace of mind was worth every penny - the ultrasound of mamma and axilla only cost me 50 Euro anyway, because doctors have strict regulations as to what they can charge. (flight was the most expensive bit as I indulged in luxury of non-stop flight - you can have it much cheaper) ... View more