According to statistical data regarding breast cancer recurrence, about 10% of the women who had the condition and had a lumpectomy or radiation therapy will suffer a recurrence of the cancer in the following 12 years.
Although there is no sure shot method to avoid recurrence, there are some things that you could do.
Help of specialists regarding recurrence of breast cancer
Make sure that you have some specialists take a look at your pathology results and films to be certain that there are no cancerous cells left after lumpectomy. Keep in mind that not every oncologist and imaging professional has the knowledge to diagnose and treat the condition. If you make sure that the surgery was a full success you can decrease the risks of recurrence of breast cancer.
Fat intake
According to a study conducted in the U. S. women who were affected by breast cancer should reduce their fat intake. The research has found that a low fat diet reduces the chances of recurrence in case of women who consume 33.3 grams of fat per day.
Exercise
If you become more active you could reduce the chances of breast cancer recurrence. You should make sure that you walk or exercise in any other way for about 3-5 per week. According to a study conducted in this field, the number of deaths decreased by 50% in case of the active people.
Weight
If you happen to be overweight, you should lose some weight, but in case you are underweight, then you should put on some after you have been diagnosed having the condition. This is something that could control the recurrence of breast cancer. There are numerous reasons for which being overweight increases the chances of women to experience breast cancer recurrence. Being overweight affects your heart and immune system, not to mention that these cells store and produce estrogen that the scientists connected to the condition.
Hormone replacement
This is a procedure that you should try to avoid in case of menopause because it could cause recurrence of breast cancer. In case you need to take some estrogen replacement medications, you should also make sure that you take progesterone as well. This hormone reduces the negative effects of estrogen on the breasts.
Alcohol and smoking
You should really give up alcohol and tobacco products to avoid breast cancer recurrence. Specialists say that they could be linked to recurrence in case of survivors.
Chemoprevention
There are some medications for chemoprevention that you should consider taking. These include raloxifen, tamoxifen and aromatase and they act by stopping the effects that estrogen has on the breasts or they simply stop the production of the hormone to avoid recurrence of breast cancer.
Bisphosphonate zoledronic acid
Talk to your doctor about taking this drug to reduce the risks of breast cancer recurrence. Although usually cancer patients take it for maintaining their bone density, there might be some other uses of the drug as well, including in case of breast cancer.
Drug abusers stand a better chance of fighting off life-threatening ailments if they go to substance abuse treatment centers and get themselves clean.
