HER2+ Breast Cancer
Survivorship
Advances in breast cancer treatment are helping many people with a HER2+ breast cancer diagnosis live longer and often fuller lives. Whether you are in active treatment, on maintenance therapy or post-treatment, do not let your diagnosis stop you in your tracks. Choose to be an active participant in your care so you have more control over both your day-to-day life and your future goals.
Prioritize a Healthy Lifestyle
Focusing on long-term maintenance may help limit your risk of recurrence. Making the following choices can help you achieve the best physical and mental health.
Lead a smart lifestyle that includes both a healthy diet and regular exercise. A dietitian or nutritionist can help you plan a healthy diet full of colorful fruits and vegetables that also limits foods thought to increase cancer risk. Moving your body in general can lead to better physical functioning and an overall better quality of life. Even 10 minutes of walking each day can increase your energy level, improve your mood and ward off fatigue.
Listen to your body and keep track of any changes or symptoms you experience, even if they seem small or unimportant. Don’t, however, do an inventory of your body every day. Keep your medical team informed of any changes or concerns.
Be diligent about scheduling and completing regular follow-up appointments and tests such as exams, blood work, imaging tests and biomarker tests.
Stay on schedule with medications. Take the right dose as prescribed by your doctor at the right time, every time. Use the many tools available, such as alarms, smartphone apps and notes, to remind you to stay on schedule. Download a free medication tracker at Patient Resource.com/Medication_Journal.
If you experience side effects that make you want to stop your medication, talk with your doctor or pharmacist right away. Cutting back on doses reduces the effectiveness of your cancer drugs. Never make a change without the direction of your medical team.
The Potential for Recurrence
Although you may have had successful treatment, HER2+ breast cancer has a tendency to recur. It can come back in different ways:
- It can be local, regrowing at the original site.
- It can be regional, regrowing in the lymph nodes of the underarm or any location above the clavicle.
- It can be distant, having spread to other tissues or organs.
- If cancer occurs in the opposite breast from the original location, it is usually a new cancer rather than a recurrence.
The best way for your medical team to monitor you for recurrence is with tests such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) or X-rays.
The higher your risk of recurrence, the more frequent your testing may be. Living with the possibility of recurrence can certainly cause “scanxiety,” the anxiety you feel while waiting for test results. Do not be hard on yourself when you worry. It is normal, even when you are feeling positive about how strong you have been. Keep your mind occupied with relaxing activities, meditation, reading or watching something that you know will make you laugh.
What Exactly Does a Metastatic Disease Diagnosis Mean?
Sometimes cancer is metastatic from the initial diagnosis (de novo). More often it spreads after the initial diagnosis. Because cancer cells have spread to another part of the body from where they originated, a metastatic diagnosis means that now your focus must shift from cure to managing the disease to keep it in control. Focus on your health and quality of life. Do not let cancer stop you from enjoying life.
No one may know what the future holds, but by having a plan, you are in a better position to maintain things within your control. Consider the following as you look toward the future:
- Be honest about your side effects so that your care team can work with you to manage them. Any details you can provide are crucial to addressing new symptoms when they occur.
- Connect with support groups or counseling professionals. Talking with other people who have experience with your diagnosis can be extremely helpful.
- Focus on legal and financial planning. Include loved ones in this planning so you can benefit from their support and so they are aware of your hopes and needs. Make plans for the care of your children, if necessary.
- Be open about concerns and ultimate goals. Consider your options for continued treatment, or valid reasons that you may take a “drug holiday.”
- Tell your treatment team about upcoming milestones in the coming months. Often they can adjust your treatment schedule with the goal of having you feel as well as possible so you can truly enjoy that day.
