When I discussed my pathology with my breast surgeon after a mastectomy, he used a Cambridge formula to estimate my chances of reaching five years survival were 76%. I felt very good about that. I had a well developed tumour, one malignant lymph node but I still had a three out of four chance of getting through. As they say, there are lies, damned lies and statistics. Statistics aren’t lies, but they are open to
interpretation and therefore not gospel. My view was that 76% was realistic - I was not out of the woods but I danced a couple of steps, it might have been much worse! Eight very happy and exciting years on, I still feel the same. I’ve been in the position (nothing to do with cancer) of being the one in 10,000 where something goes wrong. All fixed, happy ending. But it can happen. 99% survival would gladden us all, but not the ones who fall into the 1% group! Which, for thousands of cases, is quite a lot of people. The choice is yours, to see a one in four chance as threatening and depressing or a three out of four chance as being empowering and encouraging. It’s up to you, but I know which one makes your life happier and more fulfilling. Please keep up the psychiatrist, it can be really helpful as cancer is good at pulling the confidence rug from under your feet. Best wishes for a speedy return to feeling more optimistic.
