Now I Really Am A Survivor

You can be a victim or a survivor; you get to decide. ~Unknown

I am a survivor.

I feel I can really say that now because as of yesterday, it's been five years since my treatment for breast cancer ended. If I'm being truthful, I'm still receiving treatment by way of drugs, but my last radiation treatment was five years ago. But, I've made it over the hump, so to speak.

My last day of treatment in Las Vegas

For the last five years, I've seen an oncologist or nurse oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa every six months. I have the blood tests and the mammograms, and I take the devil drugs they want me to take in hopes of keeping the cancer at bay. So far, so good.

You may remember that while I was undergoing treatment for breast cancer, COVID was ravaging the rest of the world. We were still living in Las Vegas, and I was not too fond of my oncologist. At the end of my treatment, we hit the road and moved to St. Petersburg to be closer to our son, daughter-in-law, and Moffitt Cancer Center.

Moffitt is a leading research and cancer-treatment facility, and it ranks among the top cancer centers in the region and country for all cancers. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated center in Florida and has 75% higher survival rates than the national average for breast cancer. I like those odds.

Those accolades are great. but the thing that impresses me most about Moffitt is the care. Everyone I have had contact with over the past five years has been positive and uplifting. The building itself is full of light and brightness to uplift spirits of those who need it. Receiving treatment for a life-threatening disease (even at such a great hospital) is difficult, and being surrounded by such positivity reduces stress and fosters mental healing. I'm grateful to have such a wonderful treatment team.

Moffitt

You may wonder why, if I'm celebrating five years of NED (no evidence of disease) why I'm still in treatment. I had Luminal Type-B breast cancer, a more aggressive type with higher rates of cell growth. Luminal B benefits from chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Since my first visit at Moffitt, I have been on aromatase inhibitors (AI), a drug that inhibits estrogen production and, hopefully, prevents a recurrence. Many breast cancer survivors take the drugs for five years. Because I had Luminal Type-B, my oncologist originally told me I would probably be on the drugs for the rest of my life.

At my last appointment in March, Amy (the nurse oncologist) told me that there was a new test that they could perform on my tumor to see if staying on the AI would benefit me. Since some of the side effects of the drug I take—weight gain, heat intolerance, eyesight changes, headaches—really bother me, I was more than interested in seeing if I could stop after five years.

"I had cancer almost five years ago," I said to Amy. "How can they test my tumor now?" Little did I know that federal regulations have minimum retention policies with some labs retaining them for five years and others for up to 25.

Amy ordered the test, and I held my breath until I received her reply in August.

Screenshot of the test's bottom line

"Chris,  it revealed that you would have a benefit from taking extended endocrine therapy." According to the report, taking AIs for at least five more years will reduce the likelihood of recurrence by almost 50 percent.

Good. Crap. Good. Crap. Good.

I guess I wasn't surprised since all I've read about Luminal B led me to believe AIs would lessen the chances that the cancer would recur. So, I'll put up with the side effects because I refuse to be a victim.

I. Am. A. Survivor.