stage 3 breast cancer

[lou33]

can anyone help explain what this means realistically in terms of survival rates? Dh has just found out his mum has stage 3 breast cancer. She has had a radical mastectomy and her lymph nodes (?) removed. She has had chemo and is halfway through radiotherapy, having 25 sessions of it, then being put on a new drug, beginning with A, sorry i can't remember whatit's called. She has had this since feb last year but he has only just found out, and is v upset, noone bothered to let him know.

Tia

Sorry I can't give you any advice. My mum has had breast cancer but only needed radiotherapy and didn't need a mastectomy. If she's had this since Feb (was that her first surgery?) she must be quite strong to still be getting through the treatment 10 months on.
Funny noone thought to tell your dh - do they have a good relationship?

thanks, no they dont, but i would have thought these things were bigger than fallings out iyswim

Yes, you would have done. It is things like this which should encourage people to start communicating again.

yes i would have thought one of his brothers or sisters would ahve called

especially over Christmas

Had a look for you.
this

And this
HTH. My mum is at stage 2 and is starting her chemo next friday. Hugs for you and Dp{{{}}}

Thaks amy, and to you too

lou, it basically means she has about a 50% chance of surviving 5 years after diagnosis. I know this sounds very cold, but it sounds as though your dh really wants the information. Stage 3 is nowhere near as bad as stage 4, when the cancer is known to have spread to distant sites. It does sound as though she is having just the right treatment. Hugs to you both.

no it doesnt sound cold tamum, you are just giving me the info i have asked for. Thank you

You're more than welcome, I just wish it was a bit better news. xxx

I agree with what tamum has said but can I sugest you read this

www.cancerguide.org/median_not_msg.html

This was written by a wonederful scientist Stephen Jay Gould who was given awful survival odds. He explains what the 'median survival' realy means for patients. It isn't 'pllyanna' stuff but and honest guide that shos that for many people the news is better than they think when they read the stats. His disease has an avarage survival rate of months and he lived for another 20 years. He did die of cancer, but not the one from the original diagnosis.

I know that it helped me when I got dh's diagnosis. Hugs to you

sorry try \link{http://www.cancerguide.org/median_not_msg.html\median survival

here, hmb!

those sodding underlines!

Try again median survival

Yes, drat them! I can search the internet with the best of them but I am a techno numpty when it comes to posting links!

thank you

Sorry to hear that lou You are not having a good year so far are you? (((HUGS)))

No it's been a massive pile of shit since november actually. But thanks

Thank you for posting irishbird