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Q: Stage 3 - what should one expect once chemo and radiation therapy is complete?
Hi Stella - What comes next depends on your specific diagnosis. You may take an aromatase inhibitor if your cancer is hormone receptive and you're post-menopausal; or you may take tamoxifen if it's receptive and you're pre-menopausal. If it's HER2-positive, you'll probably take Herceptin. Any of these drugs are taken for years post-treatment, probably 5 years minimum. In addition, expect to see your oncologist and your breast surgeon every 3 months immediately, then every 6 months after that, then once a year, probably for 5 years. You'll have a yearly mammogram if you haven't had a bilateral mastectomy. And during all of this - you gradually recover and start to ger used to "the new normal." Good luck - PJH
i had a bone scan after my lumpectmy surgery before my chemo and it was all clear and now i finished all my chemo n rads and i go back for my pet scans and bone scan tommorow do think it will be clear too
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I have been on arimidex for almost 5years and my doctor wants to keep me on it because of the size that my tumor was I was stage 3