Breast Cancer long term remission chances?

[Ilovechocolate87]

I've just today seen two very sad stories of two young women local to me (late 20s early 30s) who have been fighting incurable breast cancer, one of who died yesterday and the other who is terminally ill as the cancer has returned and spread after afew years clear.

My best friend (also early 30s) unfortunately battled breast cancer last year and so these stories make me so worried for her too...I heard breast cancer is supposed to have good survival and successful treatment rates, but reading such stories makes me wonder if this is really the case?

The trouble with statistics is even a small chance of cancer being terminal means it will be terminal for lots of people. So you have been unlucky in only hearing those stories. I on the other hand can think of about 10 women in my social circle who are in remission after many years of treatment.

It varies case by case and treatments done. There's a model online called Predict Breast which gives outcomes over 5, 10 and 15 years. I have had 2 breast cancers, chemo, radio, hormone therapy and 2 surgeries. I think mine is something like 90% chance being alive in 5 years, 75% chance in 10 but some people stats are much better. Exercise 3 to 5 hours a week can double chance of not getting reoccurrence. But a lot depends on luck. Reoccurrence which will be at stage 4 can be 20 years later. New treatments are being developed.

The cancer research website has lots of stats.

Unfortunately survival rates are less good for those diagnosed under 40 (but still better than most cancers)

You will often only hear the bad stuff first But in fact most survive for a long time and they are so busy getting on with life you never hear about it If in doubt about any cancer being incurable etc a second opinion should be sought eg a PET scan

Breast cancer now is a good online resource

Just wanted to say that a local recurrence is not stage 4. Getting a second breast cancer after your first diagnosis (which could also have been multiple tumours) doesn’t always mean you’re stage 4.

Just to offer some hope. 💐

"Breast Cancer" is an umbrella term for multiple different diseases with very different prognoses, treatments etc

The public image of breast cancer seems to be of an early stage, low grade, oestrogen positive breast cancer. These are slow growing, have excellent prognosis and form the vast majority of breast cancer cases. They are treated with a lumpectomy and 5 days radiotherapy.

However, other breast cancer patients can have higher grade (more aggressive) cancers, non-hormonal cancers etc . For these people, often chemo is necessary, sometimes for months on end, other toxic treatments such as monoclonal antibodies, much more invasive surgery, and longer radiotherapy to more areas.

Some patients' cancers respond optimally to chemo, some partially, some don't.

There is an enormous variety.