Breast Cancer

[nailit]

My mum (aged 80) has today had the news that she has breast cancer. (or at least has 99% chance of having breast cancer, after certain medical tests)
What is the chance of recovery at her age and what can be done...given her age?
Many thanks.

[237SJ]

It depends if it has spread beyond the breast into the lymph nodes. You need more information before you can have an idea of recovery

[bednobs]

it's nt so much about her age, but what type of cancer she has, and whether it has spread etc.
Sorry she's had bad news

[lcg]

depends entirely on her prognosis. sorry to be of little help, but more info is needed. stay positive x

[nailit]

thanks 237sj, Mum has said that she has a 'cleft' in her bust.

[NoMercy]

It depends on the type of cancer, whether there is any lymph node involvement and metastatic spread. Breast cancer is curable whilst it remains in the breast but once the horse is outside of the box, it's treatable but not curable.

[nailit]

'once the horse'??
So what are we talking about...weeks, months , years?

[NoMercy]

If there has been no spread, your mother could receive a cure. Until you know more, it's difficult to say.

[237SJ]

Nailit - you need to get more info. Is it in the ducts or lobes? Is it in situ? Is it estrogen responsive? That will determine how it is treated. I`m not sure her age will make any difference. They do say that cancer grows slower when someone is older.

[NoMercy]

When I worked in Oncology I once met a 108 year old woman with a 50 year history of breast cancer. She was 109 by the time the letter got typed. Some people just live with cancer.

Please try not to worry, they will do everything they can for your mother.

[nailit]

OK guys, thanks for replies. Dont know much more than I replied at the mo.
Just worried as you can imagine, thank you.

[237SJ]

My mum was diagnosed with stage 2b breast cancer in 2008 (when she was 78). I don`t want to tempt fate but she seems to be OK now. She had radiotherapy but no chemo - they removed the lymph nodes instead. She is now on Anastrozle ( the latest wonder drug after Tamoxifen). The powers that be will decide what is the best treatment for your mum. Every case is different. Good luck.

[Maydup]

((((Hugs)))) to you nailit, i wish your Mum all good things.

[Peter Pedant]

I have been googling .. 'breast cancer survival over eighties'
and got this:

The study, funded by the Department of Health, revealed that women in Britain are far less likely to be alive three years after diagnosis than those in other well-developed countries.

Researchers at the Cancer Research UK Cancer Survival Group found that 87-89% of women in the UK and Denmark were alive three years after diagnosis, compared to 91-94% in Australia, Canada, Norway and Sweden.

Figures published in the British Journal of Cancer show the biggest difference was in women aged over 70. In the UK the three-year survival rate is 79%, whereas in Sweden it is 91%.

The scientists say the findings suggest older women and those with more advanced disease are treated less aggressively in the UK.

The thing about five or three year survival rate is that 80 y olds may not survive that long when they are well. SMRs - standardised mortality ratios are a better measure and this is a fraction - and a SMR of 2 means they die twice as quickly as the control group. A useful measure in the 80s population as they are gonna die at a certain rate anyway.

When I was looking at this for my own mother 1994,
tamoxifen alone was as good as tamoxifen and lumpectomy
- that is the SMR was the same for both.

[237SJ]

If you don`t mind me saying Peter, it`s best not to Google. Statistics mean nothing when you are dealing with individual cases.

[marval]

I can't help, but I wish your Mum all the best.

[nailit]

Thank you so much for all replies guys. Fingers crossed.

[janbee]

My older sister was diagnosed last year with breast cancer. She was 79. She had extensive drug treatments(letrazole) and then an op in Sept. to remove 2 lumps and then RT for 4 weeks. She is now 80 and is recovering slowly but we she has high hopes of a full recovery. All seemed so gloomy a year ago but now she has a future. I wish your Mum well and a full recovery too.xx

[nailit]

thank you jan.

[Sqad]

As has been reiterated by the majority of posters it will depend upon the histology (microscopic type of cancer) and the spread or lack of spread of the tumour.

\\and what can be done...given her age? \\\

Many many options from simple removal of the tumour to chemotherapeutic agents and combination of all those mentioned.

[nailit]

thank you squad. I asked about her age because her overall health isnt too good and she has heart disease as well so presumebly they would be reluctant to operate?