Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Does having had breast cancer reduces a person's lifespan

Does having had breast cancer reduces a person's lifespan?
My mother had breast cancer two years ago. She had chemo, radiation and everything's fine now. She says she has only five or six more years to live. Is that true? The only disease she has is diabetes. I forgot to add: she was 54 when she had cancer. She's 56 now.
Cancer - 5 Answers
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1 :
No it is not true .. .. .. I had a mean Mother N Law (us guys are suppose to refer to them as one) that had both removed and she still lived 10 more years .. .. .. She died from a heart operation parts of her intestine would not wake up from the knock out medicine they use .. .. .. So tell her she is stuck with looking at you for another 10 years minimum .. .. .. And she had an ileum condom bladder bag for short for years .. .. ..
2 :
You haven't said how old she is. My great grandmother, didn't have an illness, but a few weeks before she died, she started giving her loved ones special items that belonged to her. She gave my mum her engagement ring. So, if your mum is old, she may know or feel that she is going to die soon, or as you have said, 5 or 6 years. The way I would look at it, if having breast cancer would affect how long she will live for, wouldn't be how much time has been taken off, but how much time has been put on by curing the cancer. =]
3 :
Breast cancer will only shorten a person's life if the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, typically the bones, liver, lungs or brain. If that happens it is not curable, although in many cases it can be managed , sometimes for years. I assume you would know if that was the case with your mother, as she would have almost certainly restarted treatment, possibly chemo. Even if it were the case, her doctors would not make such a prediction about her life expectancy. They wouldn't know how long she had, so nor would she. I was diagnosed with breast cancer four and a half years ago; my 10 year survival stats aren't great, and at times have depressed me. I think about the possibility of my cancer metastasing, but nowhere near as often as I did when only two years had passed since my diagnosis. For instance, when Britain won their bid for the 2012 Olympics, I said 'I doubt I'll be here', and I meant it. As the years pass I think about dying less and less but whenever the 2012 Olympics are discussed, I wonder if I'll be here and remind myself I may not. I tell you this because I think that may be the way your mother is thinking at the moment. As time passes she may think about it less but for now, like me, she makes comments like this to close and trusted family members.
4 :
I've not heard of that. No one knows when we are going to die and because she treated it, seems like she will be fine. I had breast cancer in 2006 and I'm doing fine. Hope this encourages you some?
5 :
I think your mother is indulging in a bit of drama. If she doesn't have metastases, then the breast cancer affects her lifespan only in that there is some possibility of recurrence. A sensible person would be more worried about their diabetes than having had breast cancer

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