What Are The Odds Of Breast Cancer Returning?
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Know the Numbers that Can Spell Life or the End of It
To someone diagnosed with breast cancer, the best news they could ever hear is when their doctor tells them that they’re cancer-free. However, even as their breast cancer goes into remission, the likelihood of recurrence remains. Knowing this, you may wonder about the odds of breast cancer returning.
The truth is that no one can tell for certain whether breast cancer can recur or not. However, if it does, the recurrence typically takes place during the first five years after the period of remission. The cancer cells could develop on the mastectomy site, on the breast that was previously treated, or in some other parts of the body, including the liver, lungs, or the unaffected breast.
Chances of Cancer Recurrence Based on Treatment Options
The different types of breast cancer treatment that a patient has received play an important role in the chances of breast cancer recurrence down the road. As mentioned earlier, local recurrence may take place within five years after treatment. Distant recurrence, on the other hand, may happen 10 years after breast cancer remission.
Individuals who have undergone lumpectomy and radiation treatment have a 3% to 5% chance of getting the disease again in the next five years. This depends on the tumor size, HER2 function, hormone receptor status, and the tumor margins.
Mastectomy, on the other hand, can give women a 6% chance of breast cancer recurrence in the next 10 years. Without radiation treatment following mastectomy, the chances of recurrence go as high as 23%.
Types of Breast Cancer Treatment
Even if it recurs, breast cancer can still be treated. The treatment options may vary depending on the type of treatment a patient received during the first set of treatments.
1. Lumpectomy
Lumpectomy is usually done if a lump is found on the breast that wasn’t affected by breast cancer before.
2. Mastectomy and Radiation Therapy
Even if a patient had a mastectomy before, the tumor could grow near the affected tissue again. The goal of mastectomy in local recurrence is to remove as much of the tumor as possible. In most cases, radiation therapy follows to destroy any remaining cancer cells that weren’t removed during mastectomy.
3. Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy is primarily focused on blocking the agents that promote the effects of estrogen and progesterone. This is especially important if the breast cancer recurrence involves a positive hormone receptor.
4. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy the cancer cells in the body. It may also be recommended by a patient’s primary physician after surgery to avoid recurrence.
Sometimes, a doctor may prescribe a combination of these treatments, especially if the cancer cells have metastasized to other parts of the patient’s body. The reason behind this is to make sure that much of the cancer cells in the body are removed or destroyed.
A Simple Way to Show Your Compassion to Breast Cancer Sufferers
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If you care for the suffering breast cancer patients in your community, you can show your compassion by doing something simple: Donate an unwanted vehicle to us at Breast Cancer Car Donations. When you do so, you’ll be helping save the lives of destitute breast cancer patients in your area.
We’ll place your auto donation on the auction block, with the proceeds going to our nonprofit partners that are in the thick of the fight against breast cancer. These IRS-certified 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations use the funding to sustain their delivery of services to their beneficiaries. These services include financial assistance to uninsured breast cancer patients, easy access to medical facilities for their treatment, counseling, breast cancer screening, and other breast cancer prevention and education services.
To somehow repay you for your generous charitable contribution, we’ll provide you with our free pickup and towing service wherever your vehicle is parked or stored in the country.
Your donation will also entitle you to receive a maximized tax deduction in the next tax season.
However, the biggest reward you’ll receive is the priceless feeling of joy and satisfaction for having done something awesome that can help save the life of a struggling breast cancer patient in your area.
As for the types of vehicles that you can donate, you can check them out here. We accept even vehicles that are no longer in the best of shape.
If you have inquiries or concerns regarding our donation process, please contact us at 866-540-5069 or leave us a message here. You may also learn more about our work by checking out our FAQs page.
Become a Breast Cancer Lifesaver Today!
With the still skyrocketing costs of cancer treatments, many breast cancer patients are in a bind on how to beat the life-threatening disease. Your car donation will surely help in easing their anxieties as it will help ensure that they’ll receive the treatments they badly need. Call Breast Cancer Car Donations at 866-540-5069 or fill out our online donation form to become a breast cancer lifesaver now!
Last Updated: March 10th, 2023