From the first moment my wife discovered
she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even
ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have
received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than
mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started
this blog…That was four years ago – as time passed, people searching for
answers stumbled across my blog and checked out what I had to say. The
following entry appeared in December of 2015.
My wife is coming
up on FIVE YEARS (currently past SEVEN YEARS) post-mastectomy; five months
later will be five years post chemotherapy.
This article
compares the after-effects of two cancer drugs my wife took: tamoxifen (http://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2015/03/encore-8-take-tamoxifen-for-ten-years.html)
and anastrozole (http://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2011/12/next-five-years-anastrazole-whats-it-do.html).
In it, the
research team discovered that “although both drugs were safe and effective, and
had no detrimental effect on overall quality of life, there were some
differences in the type and severity of symptoms the women experienced with
each treatment, and these especially differed by age.”
The differences
they say, are in the details. So what does this mean?
In women under 60,
“tamoxifen [patients] complained of more severe hot flashes” as for those taking anastrozole, they found that they
had “greater severity of vaginal dryness and muscle and joint pains; hot
flashes, weight problems, vaginal symptoms and gynecological symptoms”
Neither drug had
any significant effect on women over 60; and overall, “The research also
indicated that symptoms such as depression and fatigue were no different in
comparison between the two drugs and did not increase in patients during the
five years of treatment.” Of course, this implies that depression and fatigue
are going to be common factors in post-treatment women, no matter their age.
Drug treatment for
women with breast cancer is going to be brutal. However, this study simply
shows that doctors need to choose wisely when prescribing the drug to patients
of different ages. Better still, PATIENTS in-the-know can make sure that their
providers are making the best choices for them.
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