CTS5 Online Test for determining if only five years of hormone therapy is okay instead of ten

Thanks for that further information @Emma17.  Again very helpful, and makes sense, to not over do any one supplement.  

@Lynn65 Thanks Lynn for your response.  I must correct an error in my post - my dumbbells are a bit over 6kgs each (~14lbs each), not 14kgs as I originally wrote.  

Also, it's Vitamin K2, not regular Vitamin K, that it is vital for moving calcium into the bones.  Caltrate, for instance, sells a formula combining Calcium/Vitamin D/Vitamin K2.  To reduce my risk of 'overdoing' supplementation, I buy the supplements separately and take as needed based on dietary intake and seasonality/sun exposure.  I take 90mg Vitamin K2 daily.

Thanks @Emma for sharing your experience and knowledge. I like your approach of having dumbbells handy to do your exercise throughout the day - . It’s very encouraging to hear that you got your bone density back up - that’s an impressive consistent effort. 

I haven’t heard of vitamin d/ calcium/vitamin k combo before - i will research - thanks for that.  There are so many facets of health - I really appreciate hearing what Works for people ( and what doesn’t) - always thought provoking.  Thanks again.  

No worries @Lynn65, we're all in this together! K xox

@kmakm thanks for those slides - very helpful I’ve saved the images!  

yes, I thought it sounded odd, not saying how much exercise. At the very least I would have expected 150 minutes per week advice.  

Interesting about the calcium — frustrating to hear different things from specialists.  I think perhaps I should get a bone density test and monitor.  4 serves — i think i eat plenty (too much?) dairy - I’ll do a check over a day and see how it turns out.    On the list of things to do!

Thanks again!  xx

@Lynn65 Cardiologists now prefer that we don't take calcium as it has negative impact on heart health. My oncologist told me that! Calcium is very easily absorbed from diet. Four serves a day is recommended for post-menopausal women.

The comment your oncologist made about exercise seems pretty odd to me. The effect of exercise has been extensively studied. I went to a BCNA information night last year where an exercise physiologist spoke extensively on the subject.  The optimum amount of medium to high intensity exercise as it affects cancer (reducing risk of occurence/recurrence) is five hours per week. Beyond that there is no measurable benefit.

Here are some of his slides:







I 100% agree with your stance about active management. It's my No 1 piece of advice about having BC. You are the best advocate you will have, you have to advocate for yourself, always.

Tbh I think your oncologist sounds a bit lazy. Good on you grrlfriend! K xox

From my reading of the original article, the CTS5 online test is actually being used by oncologists now.  The text next to the actual on-line test reads:  “The  CTS5 is an online model for clinicians to predict late distant metastasis for women with ER-positive breast cancer who are recurrence-free 5 years after endocrine therapy. Patients should always seek advice from their doctors when interpreting the results from this tool.”.   

Given how little my oncologist brings up with me ( for example, I was the one who asked about the test for ability to metabolise tamoxifen, and at 6 months, I asked what recommendations other than tamoxifen did she have since she hadn’t mentioned any), my approach is to educate myself and be better prepared to discuss things with my oncologist. When my five year mark comes, I will certainly be asking about this test, as well as any others reputable ones that I come across in the meantime.  

Wtih so much research into breast cancer, there always seems to be something new.  I have noticed, however, that my oncologist will only recommend things that are in the published protocol.  For example, she was only happy to go with the tamoxifen metabolism test when I was able to show here the guidelines for how she could treat me differently if the results came back negative.  The only recommendation that she has given in addition to tamoxifen is exercise - but she said “I can’t tell you how much to exercise” and take vitamin d with calcium, and that’s it.  

Since my mindset changed to active management of my health rather than waiting for medical professionals to fix me - which was my default mode for previous chronic health issues - I’ve been a lot happier and had a much greater sense of control — and much greater trust in the advice that I do take from medical professionals.    That’s probably how I’m wired, others will have different viewpoints and experiences.  

@kmakm the 1st link i added refers to the research posted in the oncology referral...its a pdf link...hence why I can't post the direct link. It's right at the top of the material which appears in breastcancer.org link

Gosh...I know sounds confusing 

Advice from experts such as oncologists is advisable rather than DIY calculations.