I have mentioned that part of my long-term treatment for breast cancer is taking the drug Tamoxifen. Approximately three quarters of all breast cancers are found to be estrogen receptor positive (ER- positive) meaning the growth of cancer cells is encouraged by the hormone estrogen as it activates receptors. Tamoxifen works by blocking the hormone receptors, and therefore, lowers the chance of recurrence of breast cancer. Up until now the recommendation for pre-menopausal women taking the drug has always been 5 years. However, last year a new study came out revealing a significant decrease in recurrence and death in women who stay on the drug for 10 years. For today's post I am including a link to an article about the study for those who are interested.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261363.php
What this study means for me is that if I can deal with the annoying but not significantly life-altering side effects of Tamoxifen, I am most likely looking at a sentence of 10 years.
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