Should I have been offered bisphosphonates?

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I completed treatment for TNBC last year aged 39 which included chemo and a double masectomy (because i'm BRCA1) and a lymph clearance on the affected side. My periods stopped after my second chemo treatment and have never returned. I will also be having my ovaries out in the next month so i will then officially be in menopause joy! I've seen lots of posts with women on bisphosphonates especially if they were post menopausal on diagnosis but i also know of ladies being offered them who were having periods like me before they started chemo. Should i have been offered them, especially if they can help a reoccurance in bones? The gynaecologist has said i can have HRT to protect from osteoporosis but should i have also been offered a bone density scan? again not sure if i'm meant to have one at some point? I think there is a grey area for those who were premenopausal before treatment. I'd be grateful for any advice.

Loffie over 4 years ago

Hi Sorra

Here’s the NICE Guidelines on bisphosphonates for breast cancer which will indicate if they’re applicable to your situation and, if so, you could use them as a starting point of conversation with your team.

I’m triple positive and early stage and am taking oestrogen inhibitors so different situation to you I’m afraid. My oncologist said at the beginning of my chemo that bisphosphonates wouldn’t be appropriate but after my chemo and surgery, another oncologist said I could have it if I wanted to but it was borderline if it could help - about 1% less chance of reoccurrence. Given I’ve had quite bad side effects with everything else, I decided not to have the infusions in the end.

Hope you manage to get it sorted.

Loffie x

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Should I have been offered bisphosphonates?