Hallo. I am a bit confused as to the current treatment of my recently diagnosed breast cancer. I am Her2 positive, and have a month to go until my lumpectomy, but have been prescribed letrozole until then by way of neoadjuvant therapy.
Can you explain why?
Hello Beechtree7889a6
Thanks for getting in touch on our On-line Community, I’m Sue one of the cancer information nurses on the Macmillan Support Line.
I can see you have also joined the Breast Cancer Forum, we hope you are finding this a safe and supportive space, sometimes having the support of others who are going through something similar to ourselves can be invaluable.
It’s understandable you may be feeling a little confused about your recent breast cancer diagnosis and treatment plan. Being diagnosed with cancer can cause all sorts of emotions and uncertainties and it can feel overwhelming.
We would always encourage speaking to your consultant or clinical nurse specialist if you are feeling uncertain and unsure about any aspect of your diagnosis and treatment plan, as nurses on the Support Line we are a separate service from the NHS and do not have access to medical records. We can however offer lots of information which we hope you find helpful in your understanding.
There are different diagnostic tests needed as part of a breast cancer diagnosis, as it’s important for the hospital team to gain as much clinical information as possible to help plan treatment. This includes the stage, grade and type of breast cancer.
Further tests are carried out to check the hormone status ( oestrogen and progesterone positive or negative and HER2 status. If someone is told they have a HER 2 positive and/or hormone positive breast cancer, different treatments are available called targeted therapy and hormone therapy.
There are NICE clinical guidelines for breast cancer treatment, however, this doesn’t mean one size fits all and one person may be on a different treatment to another, dependant on their individual situation.
Letrozole is a type of hormone therapy belonging to a group of medications called aromatase inhibitors (AI’s), these can be given before (neoadjuvant) as well as after (adjuvant) breast cancer surgery. In early-stage breast cancer when they are given after, this is to help reduce the risk of a recurrence. The reason it is given before surgery is to help shrink the cancer, which can sometimes mean a lumpectomy can be offered, rather than needing a mastectomy.
I hope this information helps to explain things and please don’t hesitate to get back in touch as much as you need to.
Sending best wishes and take care
Sue
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.
Ref/ SMG/LM
