Hormones and breast cancer

@AT404, your above reply mentions..."possibility of cancer returning due to hormones. But maybe it isn't hormones". I gather that you are thinking that the hormones themselves might make the cancer return but that you feel that any return may have nothing to do with the hormones?  If any cancer cells have survived the initial treatment and surgery, and then reestablish themselves, in hormone receptive cancers, by depriving those surviving cancer cells of hormones, you are basically cutting off their main food supplies. Think of the hormones as "fertilizer". If you have plants and you feed them with fertilizer, they'll grow fast. With a large patch of weeds, you might spray on a herbicide (like chemo for us), you might also pull out all those that you can see (surgery). Knowing that there may still be dormant seeds left, surely you wouldn't then go soaking the area with fertilizer?

@AT404 my view is you need to give it your best shot!  Eventually the body settles into taking the hormone blocking drugs.  It's about working out what time of day best suits to take it and hopefully as the body adjusts the side effects are more manageable and or lessen!  Be guided by your medical team, they have you as their number one priority!  I don't see it as if I should or shouldn't but that of course if your choice!

Thank you ladies, you are all fabulous to chat to.  I am new to breast cancer (3 months) and knew so little, I am ashamed to admit.  I am trying to figure out, should I take the hormone blocking drugs they prescribe or shouldn't I.  The ladies I know who have been taking them have a horrible time and it goes on for 5 or more years.  Trying to compare quality of life with the possibility of cancer returning due to hormones.  But maybe it isn't hormones.

What I did notice was the room overflowing with ladies that had the call back at Breast screen.  The room thinned out as the morning went on and left a handful of us seeing the Breast surgeon and having the biopsy to confirm diagnosis.  We all know others in varying age groups.  The 50-74 age group is aimed it by Breast screen hence that is a large amount of ladies who are being screened compared to those below the 50 age. 

And way of the subject but did anyone else notice that the majority of ladies were tall skinny minnies - (unlike me)

I too was very surprised that they still say the majority are over 50 or 60 (whatever), having treatment for the 1 1/2yrs I felt like I lived in the chemo ward.  I also went private so I deducted (maybe incorrectly) that there would be more older woman.  But there weren't!!!   Way to many young people.  Not that I want any age groups in there - 

Cancer is triggered when there is a change in the DNA of cells that cause them to start dividing abnormally. These abnormalities become more common as we age, and our cells, and the DNA in them also ages. It's like if we copy a piece of paper, then we do a copy of the copy, each one is not as fresh or good quality as the first one. Statistically, most cancers are more common the older we are. Cells in younger people naturally divide faster so cancer can progress faster or sometimes be more aggressive, but not always. I am 42 and got hormone +Ve bc with no significant family history so go figure.

Most of the women I know have got breast cancer in their 30s and 40s, including myself. There was a 15 year old with breast cancer in the room next to me when I was first diagnosed. It happens to younger women a lot and is often very aggressive when it does.

@Summerhill38 LOL no I was actually disagreeing with @AT404 that eventhough stats say older, majority of people including myself were pre menopause. :) 

Hi @melclarity
Were you disagreeing with me or did you just not read my post correctly ?