Cancer Research UK main site
  • Replies 5 replies
  • Views 632 views
  • Users 0 members are here

Yearly mammogram and anastrozole query

Magpiemaggie
Offline

Met with my breast nurse and she said I am now discharged from the breast clinic after my breast cancer diagnosis in 2018.

I am concerned as although it has been 5 years from diagnosis, my last operation was in Oct 2018, hormone treatment  started in November 2018.

Now I have to stop the hormone treatment even though it's been less than 5 years and put onto the national screening program with mammograms every three years. I thought I would have had another mammogram next year. 

It doesn't feel right to me and I got the feeling they just want to get me off their list. 

What are your thoughts on this? 

I

  • Offline

    Hi Magpiemaggie,

    I can understand why you are concerned,  Did you ask your breast care nurse why you weren't getting the full 5 years of hormone treatment? This does seem unusual, when so many women are now taking this for 10 years, instead of 5.

    Why not have a word with your GP and explain how you feel about this? I'm not sure whether the annual mammogram is calculated from the date of diagnosis, or the date of surgery. Perhaps one of our moderators or nurses could clarify this for you?

    At least you will still get your routine mammograms. Those of us who have had a double mastectomy, have no further scan and feel totally put out to grass.

    I hope that you're doing well otherwise?

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx

  • Offline in reply to Jolamine

    Hi Jolamine

    Hope your well and thanks for replying. I agree with you regarding mastectomy follow up. surveillance should be carried out and support given. 

    I have had issues with anastrozole side effects and I think this is the reason she wanted me to stop taking it but I was not happy stopping it before the 5 years were up. The nurse, whom I've never met before, said that the benefits of anastrozole are achieved in the first couple of years of taking it and then starts to wane.

    There are no studies to support this statement and I'm worried now that she will tell my GP to stop prescribing. 

    Getting a GP appointment is extremely difficult but I will try and get to speak to them. 

    I was told after my treatment finished that I would have a mammogram every year for 5 years, so still due another one.

    It's extremely annoying being put in this position. 

    xx

  • Offline in reply to Magpiemaggie

    Hi Magpiemaggie,

    I am not really up on how well the results of Anastrozole work or of what the optimum amount of time for taking it is. Most people I know have taken it for 5 years. Like you, I wouldn't feel happy to have this cut short for no good reason. 

    Was the nurse you spoke to your breast care nurse or someone else? You could also try speaking to your specialist nurse. You may have to wait forher to call you back, but I have found mine to be extremely helpful. I know that it's not easy to get an appointment with a GP, but they do have a duty of care for you, so I would insist that you have to speak to them. Draw of a list of all of your concerns, including your mammogram issues. You may have to be quite insistant that you don't feel happy about cutting your treatment and monitoring short, but you are entitled to it.

    If they stick to their guns, you could ask them to produce some papers, to justify that Anastrozole is most effective in the first few years and then that the effect starts to wane.

    I hope that you manage to get somewhere with this. Please keep us posted.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx

     

  • Offline in reply to Jolamine

    Thanks Jolamine, you've gave some good advice. I don't know anything about the nurse I saw. I do not have a breast nurse as I made a complaint against her so she's not allowed near me.

    I'll go to see my GP in the first instance and take it from there. 

    xx

  • Offline in reply to Magpiemaggie

    Hi Magpiemaggie,

    I am so sorry to hear that you have had issues with your breast care nurse. Are there any other breast care nurses on the team that you could see instead? There are 3 different nurses on my team.

    I hope that you get on better with your GP.

    Kind regards,

    Jolamine xx

Speak to a nurse

Quick links

Follow us

Registered with Fundraising Regulator (logo)
Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ.