Side Effects and AIs

  Rarely do I receive an email from one of my doctor colleagues with the suggestion that I share a particular study with you. This, however, is one of those rare moments. The study, from JCO, suggests that women who experience side effects (vaginal dryness, stiffness, etc) may have a lower recurrence rate than those who do not. The very big caveat is that this is a single study, and, especially if you are one of the rather rare women who does not have any side effects, do not be concerned. Read more... Comments (0)

Non-compliance with Tamoxifen and Recurrence Rate

  This is quite a serious and important study. The rate of non-compliance among women who are taking Tamoxifen or any of the AIs is quite high. There are many suggested reasons for this problem: side effects or perceived side effects, cost of the drugs, denial or a sense that the medication may not be needed. Whatever the cause, we know that women who stop taking these medications sooner than five years have a higher recurrence rate than those who finish the course. Read more... Comments (0)

Staging Locally Advanced Cancers

  I recognize that this is a rather arcane topic that is either of great interest or no interest at all. For women who present with locally advanced breast cancer (meaning a large tumor), this is very important information. Whatever the details of one's circumstances, it is vital to have all the correct information in order to best make the right treatment decisions. Until this study, there has been some uncertainty re how how to collect information for these women. The point of contention is how large is the tumor as that directs whether a mastectomy will be necessary or whether a lumpectomy/radiation will suffice. Read more... Comments (0)

Making Treatment Decisions

    Although I plan to share an amusing essay from Forbes.com about making treatment decisions, this is a very serious topic. Let's start with the reality that most of us feel our brains shut down and our eyes glaze over pretty quickly during serious cancer conversations. I have a strong recollection, moments after being told of my first diagnosis, of thinking that my surgeon was kind of like looking at a fish in a tank--she was opening and closing her mouth, and I expected that words were coming out, but I was not hearing a single one. Even if you can stick with the reality better than I could that afternoon, none of us can make much sense out of a flood of statistics. Read more... Comments (0)