Paula, never put a time frame on life expectancy. Everyone is different. Women are living decades with Breast cancer. I think in general, when people hear they have cancer they think they are going to die and that is not so.

This 5-10 years on hormone blockers is just ridiculous to me. These doctors writing scripts pushing these harmful drugs just really pisses me off.

Of course there is!!! Actually, Her2- positive cancer With hormone receptors had a better survival rate because you can treat it on both fronts. Plus, “if” it were to come back and is still Her2-pos, the antibody treatments are very effective in keeping it stable or even reducing it. Women with recurrences take these antibodies for life with very good success rates. Actually better than other cancers because those antibodies are so effective!

Paula, I am HER2+, and have never taken a hormone blocker- because they have no effect on HER2+ (Human Epidermal Receptor 2 Postitive) cancer cells.

Did you mean HR2+? (Hormone Receptor Positive- for both Estrogen and Progesterone)

I am out of HER2+ active treatment for 4+ years now, so far, so good.
For all of us, there is no real timetable- a lot depends on our age, any other health conditions, how many additional risk factors we have- (smoking, drinks, extra weight, etc.) and what stage/ grade our cancer was, and the response to treatment.

My feeling is that tomorrow is not promised to any of us- so, we should enjoy the life we fought for- no matter what the charts say! Tight Hugs!

Paula did you take the bone infusions while on it?
In my opinion I don't think its necessary to take a hormone blocker for more than 2 years. If an estrogen dependent cancer is going to reoccur after the AI treatment is completed, its going to occur after 2, 4, 7 years on them. Taking it starves the cancer which then kills it so it shouldn't take 5-10 yrs to do that. If Anastrozole prevented new cancer growths in 10 months with stage 4 Breast cancer then that shows what a shorter duration on these drugs would accomplish. My doctor told me being stage 4 that eventually Anastrozole would just stop working and I would need something else so like most drugs we take they stop working after a while or we need a higher dose. Makes sense to me to stop the AI in 2 years in case cancer comes back and then take it again if needed .