I am 57. What strategies can reduce breast cancer relapse?

Question

Hello doctor,

Three years before, I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, stage 1, in my right breast. I was 54 years old back then. Doctors have removed my right breast, and since then, I have been going through chemotherapy, and I am now cancer-free. However, I am skeptical and unable to sleep peacefully, and I am too worried about recurrence. It is just eating up my head, please help me. What can I do to prevent cancer recurrence? How will I know if it comes back, and what are the signs of recurrence? What treatment options are there for cancer recurrence? Does triple-negative breast cancer have a higher recurrence rate than other breast cancer types? I am following a healthy lifestyle, but I wanted to know whether there is something that I should avoid to reduce my recurrence risk.

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

I can understand that you are in a tough time, and I am concerned about your worries. There is a risk of recurrence of breast cancer in the other breast, and also there can be a risk of other gynecological cancers like cervical, ovarian, and endometrial cancer.

I will advise you to strictly follow up with your breast cancer surgeon and do regular mammography to detect if there are cancer cells, and follow the advice of a consultant breast surgeon. This is the best way to prevent the recurrence of cancer. I can assure you that if you follow the regular follow-up, you will not have any harm regarding the disease.

Along with that, I will advise you to visit a consultant gynecologist and do cervical cancer screening. These include:

Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) test.

Pap smear screening is done according to age as follows:

The first screening is done at the age of 24 years.
Between the ages of 25 and 49 years, three screening tests.
Between the ages of 50 and 64 years, screening tests.
Above 60 years accordingly.

If you follow all this advice, you will not face any complications regarding your disease. I can understand it is sad to get diagnosed with breast cancer, but be strong; together we can fight this disease. I assure you that you will live a healthy life, and I suggest you consult a psychiatrist and psychotherapist for the release of stress and depression.

I hope I have satisfied your queries; please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further queries.

Thank you.