Can You Live 20 Years With Breast Cancer?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Can you live 20 years with breast cancer?

Many people with localized or regional breast cancer survive for 20 years or longer after receiving a diagnosis and treatment

. It is rare for someone with distant breast cancer to live for 20 years. However, scientists are continuing to improve treatments for distant breast cancer.

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Can you live 30 years after breast cancer?

With today's advanced treatment and early detection,

breast cancer survivors can live a long and full life after breast cancer treatment

. It's estimated that there are 3.9 million breast cancer survivors in the US.

How long can you live after being diagnosed with breast cancer?

Around 95 out of every 100 women (around 95%) survive their cancer for

1 year or more after diagnosis

. Around 85 out of every 100 women (around 85%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis. Around 75 out of every 100 women (around 75%) will survive their cancer for 10 years or more after diagnosis.

How long can you live with breast cancer untreated?

Can you live 15 years with breast cancer?

Breast Rates


The invasive 15-year breast cancer relative survival rate is 80%

(80 out of 100 women are alive after 15 years).

Can you live 50 years after cancer?


Yes, it is possible to have a long life with cancer

. Yes, it is possible to have a long life with cancer. Though being diagnosed with cancer is still presumed as a death sentence, most cancers are treatable. Millions of people with cancer are living in the United States.

Who is the longest breast cancer survivor?


Thelma Sutcliffe

turned 114 years old in October. She now holds the record as the oldest living American, as the previous record holder died recently at age 116. Sutcliffe has survived breast cancer twice during her lifetime.

Can breast cancer be fully cured?


There is no “natural” cure for breast cancer

. Medical treatments are necessary to remove, shrink, or slow the growth of tumors. That said, you may use certain complementary therapies and lifestyle changes alongside standard medical treatments to help: control symptoms of breast cancer.

What is the 30 year survival rate for breast cancer?

The lowest overall rate of cancer survival for females diagnosed during 2000-2005 was in those aged 25-29 years (72% 5-year relative survival), followed by 20- to 24-year-olds and 30- to 34-year-olds (75% and

76%

, respectively) and 35- to 39-year-olds (80%) (Figure 5).

Is breast cancer a death sentence?

Breast cancer is curable, it's okay to be afraid to get screened but don't let fear cause you to lose your life.

Breast cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence

. Read on breast cancer, go and get screened by a medical professional at least once a year, learn to examine your breast by yourself and do it regularly.

How many years does breast cancer take to develop?

Each division takes about 1 to 2 months, so a detectable tumor has likely been growing in the body for

2 to 5 years

. Generally speaking, the more cells divide, the bigger the tumor grows.

Which cancer has the lowest survival rate?

The cancers with the lowest five-year survival estimates are

mesothelioma (7.2%), pancreatic cancer (7.3%) and brain cancer (12.8%)

. The highest five-year survival estimates are seen in patients with testicular cancer (97%), melanoma of skin (92.3%) and prostate cancer (88%).

Does age affect breast cancer survival?

The outcomes analysis showed that overall,

women age 40 or younger when diagnosed were 30% more likely to die from breast cancer than women who were age 51 to 60 when diagnosed.

Can you live 40 years with breast cancer?

Most breast cancer cases are highly treatable, especially when a doctor diagnoses them at an early stage.

Many people survive for years or even decades after getting a breast cancer diagnosis and receiving treatment

.

At what age is breast cancer most aggressive?

The risk for breast cancer increases with age. Most breast cancers are diagnosed

after age 50

. Genetic mutations. Women who have inherited changes (mutations) to certain genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, are at higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

What is the most treatable breast cancer?


Ductal Carcinoma

.

About 1 in 5 people who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer have DCIS. This type is very curable.

Can cancer go away forever?


Most chronic cancers cannot be cured, but some can be controlled for months or even years

. In fact, there's always a chance that cancer will go into remission. There are different kinds of remission.

Can cancer come back after 20 years?

Most cancers that are going to come back will do so in the first 2 years or so after treatment. After 5 years, you are even less likely to get a recurrence. For some types of cancer, after 10 years your doctor might say that you are cured.

Some types of cancer can come back many years after they were first diagnosed

.

Can you live with cancer for decades?


People are twice as likely to live at least 10 years after being diagnosed with cancer than they were at the start of the 1970s

, new research shows.

Do cancer survivors age faster?

A study published in ESMO Open, a journal of the European Society of Medical Oncology, found that

cancer survivors age faster and die sooner than those who have never had the disease

. The average life expectancy for people who have survived childhood cancer is 30 percent lower than the general population.

What are the odds of beating breast cancer?

SEER Stage 5-year Relative Survival Rate
Localized*


99%

Regional


86%

Distant


29%

All SEER stages combined


90%

Does breast cancer spread fast?

Studies show that even though breast cancer happens more often now than it did in the past,

it doesn't grow any faster than it did decades ago

. On average, breast cancers double in size every 180 days, or about every 6 months.

Does 5 year survival rate mean you have 5 years to live?

Most importantly,

five-year survival doesn't mean you will only live five years

. Instead it relates to the percentage of people in research studies who were still alive five years after diagnosis.

Do you feel ill with breast cancer?

General symptoms

Many symptoms of secondary breast cancer are similar to those of other conditions. Some general symptoms that breast cancer may have spread include: Feeling constantly tired.

Constant nausea (feeling sick)

What is the future of breast cancer?

In clinical trials,

immunotherapy has yielded positive results and demonstrated increased response rates in patients with both early and late stages of breast cancer

. Immunotherapy is approved for patients with advanced triple-negative cancer, which often grows and spreads faster than other types of breast cancer.

Can you have breast cancer for 10 years and not know?

For example, certain types of skin cancer can be diagnosed initially just by visual inspection — though a biopsy is necessary to confirm the diagnosis. But

other cancers can form and grow undetected for 10 years or more

, as one study found, making diagnosis and treatment that much more difficult.

Which cancer has the highest survival rate?

Sr. No. (From most to least) Type of cancer Patients expected to survive five years after their diagnosis (percent) 1

Prostate cancer

99
2 Thyroid cancer 98 3 Testicular cancer 97 4 Melanoma (Skin cancer) 94

Are there any Stage 4 cancer survivors?

Although

some people with stage 4 cancer can live for years, the prognosis often isn't good

. Therefore, the goal of treatment is not to cure the cancer but to slow or stop its growth, relieve symptoms, and extend survival time. This overview of stage 4 cancer explains what it is and how it is diagnosed.

Is Stage 3 breast cancer curable?

Is Stage 3 breast cancer a death sentence?

A cancer diagnosis is a life-changing event. This is especially true if you're diagnosed with later-stage cancer. But

stage 3 cancer isn't a death sentence

. Survival rates are improving, and researchers are continually discovering and testing new targeted drugs and immunotherapies.

What are the signs that breast cancer has spread?

  • a cough that doesn't go away.
  • shortness of breath.
  • ongoing chest infections.
  • weight loss.
  • chest pain.
  • coughing up blood.
  • a build up of fluid between the chest wall and the lung (a pleural effusion)

Can you have Stage 4 breast cancer and not know it?

Where is the first place breast cancer spreads?


The lymph nodes under your arm, inside your breast, and near your collarbone

are among the first places breast cancer spreads. It's “metastatic” if it spreads beyond these small glands to other parts of your body.

What is the 30 year survival rate for breast cancer?

The lowest overall rate of cancer survival for females diagnosed during 2000-2005 was in those aged 25-29 years (72% 5-year relative survival), followed by 20- to 24-year-olds and 30- to 34-year-olds (75% and

76%

, respectively) and 35- to 39-year-olds (80%) (Figure 5).

Does a mastectomy shorten your life?


81.2% of women who had double mastectomy were alive 10 years after diagnosis

. 79.9% of women who had single mastectomy were alive 10 years after diagnosis.

Does breast cancer always return?

Everyone who's had breast cancer is at risk of recurrence (return of breast cancer). However,

most people diagnosed with breast cancer will never have a recurrence

. Talk with your health care provider about your risk of recurrence and things you can do that may lower your risk.

Carlos Perez
Author
Carlos Perez
Carlos Perez is an education expert and teacher with over 20 years of experience working with youth. He holds a degree in education and has taught in both public and private schools, as well as in community-based organizations. Carlos is passionate about empowering young people and helping them reach their full potential through education and mentorship.