Breast cancer recurrence rate 2 years after surgery is as high as 30%? Doctor: "These women" beware of the high risk of metastasis in multiple locations!
Is early hormone-positive breast cancer prone to recurrence? Is the prognosis more difficult than triple-negative breast cancer?
According to 2020 cancer registration data released by the Taiwan Health Promotion Administration, breast cancer ranks first among the top ten cancers in women1, with more than 15,000 cases, and its standardized incidence rate is as high as 82.1 (per 100,000 population). It has truly become a major issue in women’s health. a major threat. Among them, hormone-positive (HR+HER2-) patients account for about 70% of all breast cancer subtypes, ranking the highest among breast cancers. Fortunately, with the advancement of medical technology, the treatment of early-stage breast cancer is becoming more and more mature. In particular, hormone-positive patients generally have better cognitive treatment effects and better prognosis. However, this also means that the “risk of recurrence” is often ignored.
Chen Shoudong, Chairman of the Taiwan Breast Medical Association, said that according to cancer registration reports, the incidence of breast cancer has nearly doubled and the mortality rate has increased by nearly 30% in the past 20 years; 2,655 women will die from breast cancer in 2020, which is equivalent to 7 women every day. Lost his precious life due to breast cancer. Huang Shufang, Chairman of the Breast Cancer Patients Association of the Taiwan, appeared with early-stage breast cancer patients to share their anti-cancer stories and awaken the public’s attention to “start risk avoidance and move towards cure” of early-stage breast cancer.
Breast cancer recurrence rate 2 years after surgery is as high as 30%? These women may be at high risk
Dr. Liu Junyu, director of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, explained that although the treatment effectiveness and prognosis of patients with hormone-positive early breast cancer are better, and most treatment goals are oriented towards “toward a cure,” there are still 20-30% Patients will relapse. If there are conditions such as positive lymph nodes, large tumors, high Ki-67 index, and poor differentiation of tumor cells, it may belong to a “high recurrence risk group” and its prognosis is as poor as that of triple-negative breast cancer, which is recognized as difficult.
Research shows that about 30% of patients with recurrence develop recurrence within 2 years after surgery, and more than 80% occur within 5 years after surgery, and a certain proportion have distant metastasis. Common metastasis sites include bones, lungs, liver, brain, etc., among which the probability of distant metastasis in multiple locations exceeds 34%. Once distant metastasis occurs into advanced breast cancer, treatment will be more difficult.
Because there is no cure for late-stage breast cancer, the purpose of treatment will shift from early stage to cure, to focus on prolonging lifespan and improving survival rate. There is no cure. Dr. Liu Junyu reminded that it is recommended that cancer patients with positive lymph nodes should pay attention to whether they are in a high-risk group for recurrence. They should discuss and evaluate the follow-up treatment plan with the attending physician as soon as possible, reduce the possibility of recurrence through postoperative adjuvant treatment, and start “risk-avoiding treatment” early. .
“Risk-avoidance treatment” strategy for high-recurrence early-stage breast cancer, postoperative adjuvant treatment combined with “cell cycle inhibitors”
Breast cancer treatment is planned based on subtype, stage, etc. Many patients with early-stage breast cancer often “wait for cure” after receiving standard local treatment. However, after undergoing surgery, there is actually still a risk of recurrence. In addition, It is very likely that the cancer cells have not been completely eliminated, and it is even more important to initiate “postoperative adjuvant treatment” at this time.
In the past 20 years, adjuvant treatment after breast cancer surgery has included chemotherapy and hormonal therapy. According to research, it can only reduce the risk of recurrence by up to 20%. However, as treatment developments keep pace with the times, according to the latest U.S. National Cancer Institute in 2023, The latest breast cancer treatment guidelines from the Information Network and the European Society of Medical Oncology include “cell cycle inhibitors” as postoperative adjuvant treatment options for groups with a high risk of recurrence of hormone-positive early-stage breast cancer. Compared with hormonal therapy alone, combined with cell cycle inhibitors, it can effectively reduce the risk of recurrence by 33.6%.
The Taiwan Breast Medical Association looks forward to leading Taiwan’s medical team to follow up on international treatment guidelines on early breast cancer treatment and improve Taiwan’s treatment consensus and standards. This year, the latest “Consensus on postoperative adjuvant therapy for hormone-positive early breast cancer” was published for the first time. The content provides treatment recommendations for each cancer type, including preoperative to postoperative adjuvant therapy, pre- and postmenopausal hormonal therapy, etc.
Chairman Chen Shoudong further explained that for patients who are hormone-positive and are at high risk of recurrence, it is recommended to choose hormonal therapy combined with cell cycle inhibitors as postoperative adjuvant treatment. And discuss with the doctor the most appropriate treatment method, so that the treatment goal can progress from prolonging survival to “cure”, and start risk-averse treatment as early as possible.
Patients are forced to make choices between fertility, career and treatment! Follow the doctor’s advice and regain control of your life as soon as possible
A patient surnamed Lai, a patient representative admitted by the chairman, shared that he discovered clues during the company’s annual physical examination 2 years ago. After further examination, he was diagnosed with hormone-positive (HR+/HER2-) early-stage breast cancer, and he belonged to a group with a high risk of recurrence. When I learned from the doctor that I had breast cancer, I was very emotional for a while, but after the chairman’s careful concern and explanation, I quickly adjusted my mentality and accepted the follow-up treatment.
Ms. Lai is fully aware of the risks of recurrence. After the operation, she followed the doctor’s advice and actively received hormonal treatment and cell cycle inhibitors. Now she is well under control and has returned to work and normal life. Huang Shufang, chairman of the Breast Cancer Patients Association, also called on the fact that breast cancer has the highest incidence rate among women in Taiwan, and the age of breast cancer in Taiwan is earlier than in European and American countries. Many patients are forced to choose between fertility, career and treatment. Fortunately, there are currently multiple treatment options. As long as patients actively cooperate with doctors and reduce the risk of recurrence, they have the opportunity to achieve the goal of “cure” early-stage breast cancer and regain control of their lives. right.
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