Learn what a typical Breast cancer prognosis is at Consumer Reports Health.

Breast cancer

What will happen to me?

Maybe you're too scared to ask what might happen to you even though you want to know. It can be hard to look at a cold, hard statistic that is supposed to tell you how long a woman with a certain type of breast cancer will live. It's important to realize that no one can say for sure what will happen to you. Breast cancer is not always a predictable disease.

But it is important to know that:

Doctors usually talk about the percentage of women who will be alive five years after being treated for breast cancer. This is because the risk that breast cancer will return is highest in the first five years
But being alive five years later doesn't necessarily mean that you have been completely cured. You will probably always need to be watchful and have regular checkups, even 20 years later.
Breast cancer is an unpredictable disease, and sometimes women who were told that they had very advanced breast cancer have nonetheless become long-term survivors.

If you want more information, see Survival rates for breast cancer. But please remember that you are an individual. Statistics cannot tell you what will happen in your specific case.

This information was last updated on May 11, 2009

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2009. All rights reserved.

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