Letrozole/decision

[nohorn]

Perhaps I am over thinking. I have to make a decision within a couple of weeks whether to do radition or double masectomy. Taking letrozole for five or more years. Seems to me I would be stressing my adrenal gland. I am 75 y.o. and our systems are delicately balanced, the older we get the less stress our organs can take, especially the adrenal glands. Taking letrozole to block estrogen for 5 years, seems to me the possibility of messing up the adrenal which in turn would mess up the thyroid, and bingo, type II diabetes. I am in excellent health other than the with the breast cancer (stage I, no lymph nodes involved (E & R makers), and look forward to 25 years of longevity. And of course there is risk to making my bones weaker. I doubt if many studies have been done on 75+ y.o. ladies and besides letrozole has only been around since 1997. I doubt the pharmacetical companies would advertise the fact about the stress on elderly adrenal glands. Am I making any wrong conclusions? I know masectomy is a brutal surgery but the alternatives don't look too great (radiation and letrozole). Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanking you in advance squad, et.al.
nohorn

[Sqad]

Don.t get too clever concerning the endocrine glands in the elderly, they can look after themselves and would certainly not be upset by letrizole joining the party.

If you were my mother, I would suggest mastectomy ( not bilateral) followed by letrizole.

There you are......you did ask.

[black_cat51]

what are your doctors recommending?

[nohorn]

Thank you squad......I especially value the mother advice. The reason I am considering bilateral is the other breastas had one biopsy 4 years ago with result of displasia. It has a titanium marker. In response to what the doctor recommends, I am in U S A. I have a surgeon who did the lumpectomy, an oncologist that has a "shared" decision attitude, and a radiologist, who well is a radiologist. However in a couple of days, a panel of doctors will meet to review my case who will take in consideration my recent bone density test. So I will be getting advice from that group, althought I suspect it will be a mixed opinion bag. It is just that I don't want to leave s stone unturned. And I greatly value AB advice. I will let you all know about the final decision.

[Sqad]

Health Care including cancer prognosis is probably the best in the world and i particularly like the multi-disciplinary approach.

I look forward to their advice.

[Peter Pedant]

agree sqad
we dont have the facts and results - not even sqad is psychic...

You're getting a MDT - joint meeting of the doctors
this has been shown to work well in onc0 or cancer

go with what they recommend.

dont ask us, ask them - you are after all paying for it....

[nohorn]

Yes squad, another interesting point, I had my yearly mameogram on March 24th, had the biopsy on March 25th and the results from my doctor on March 28th and had the lumpectomy on April 1st. It doesn't get any better than that.
Of course, my redneck friends all crowed, that is going to change when our new health care system is in full swing. Oh well

[Sqad]

\\\Of course, my redneck friends all crowed, that is going to change when our new health care system is in full swing. \\

;-)

[nohorn]

The reason the panel took it on is that I am an unusally healthy 75 y.o. I have a blood pressure that others envy, no diabetes, all my teeth, only take a snthyroid pill, as far as prescriptions go....the lumpectomy had clean margins, 9ml tumor. It was a bonanza to have picked it up that early.

I am amazed in how many women I have talked to that ignore their yearly mameogram. The machine our hospital has now does it in digital 3D. I asked how much the machine cost, they would not say. 3D...amazing.

[beegeebee]

As a mere male I really am in no position to give advice except to say, my mother was diagnose with breast cancer at the age 78 and was prescribed Tamoxifen. no other treatment was given and apart from the normal degeneration of age, lived to the age of 90 and died of natural causes, the cancer not being cited as the reason for her death. She was well looked after by my oh in our home, though whether that had any bearing is difficult to say.

[nohorn]

Beegee that is very interesting, and a relief to know it did not do her in.....

[jno]

perhaps you could ask the surgeon to remove the redneck friends as well... :-)

[nohorn]

Judging on where I live, I doubt if I would have any friends left. At my age one can't be picky!