Can BC return after 7 years of remission at age 62?

Question

Hello doctor,

My aunt is 62 years old. She has been in remission from breast cancer for the past 7 years, but now it seems to have come back. They are calling it a recurrence, but is there any way to be sure?

The doctor mentioned hormone therapy again but did not explain much. Are the success rates of the same treatment lower the second time?

Also, she keeps coughing and feels short of breath sometimes. They think it might have spread to her lungs, but no biopsy has been done yet. Should we be worried about delays like this?

Please help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I am sorry your aunt is going through this again. A breast cancer recurrence means that some cancer cells remained undetected after the initial treatment and have now grown back. You can confirm whether it is a new primary breast cancer or a recurrence via biopsy and molecular testing.

If the new tumor has the same hormone receptor and HER2 (human epidermal growth factor) status as her original cancer, it is likely a recurrence. If it has different characteristics, it could be a new, unrelated cancer.

According to your query, I guess she was treated with hormone therapy before, and a recurrence is often treated the same way.

However, the effectiveness depends on:

How well did she respond the first time?
Whether resistance to the treatment has developed?
Whether the cancer has spread to other organs?

If hormone therapy worked well before, it can still be effective but might need to be combined with newer drugs, such as CDK4/6 (chronic kidney disease) inhibitors, for better results. Her coughing and shortness of breath are concerning as they can be due to lung metastasis.

Delays in getting a biopsy or imaging (CT (computed tomography) scan, PET (positron emission tomography) scan, or bronchoscopy) could mean cancer spreads further before treatment starts.

Further evaluation is needed immediately. Other than metastasis, her symptoms can be due to other lung conditions like pneumonia, pleural effusion, infection, or inflammation. Do an imaging urgently.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.