When do you start counting "cancer survivor" time?

Question

I had a lumpectomy in Nov 06 and radiation therapy for 6 weeks. I am now taking tamoxifen.

At what point in time do I begin counting my survivor time? I asked my oncologist and his reply was "when you finished your radiation treatments".

For those who are counting, at what point did you start counting?

Answer 1

I have C.M.L. acc, with blast to spinal fluid. I began counting myself as a survivor the day I was dx'd. One way to look at it is: "During the time of my treatments, what was I?" Were you in limbo? Heck no!! You were SURVIVING! You were living each day. Why start when you finish treatments?
Because I am not taking any more treatments, (and am not in remission, b.t.w.), does this mean I should not count myself as a survivor? I go every three months for maintenance, and still count my time as a survivor. going on three years now.

Answer 2

You know, when I was going through chemo for breast cancer, there was a walk to raise money for research on cancer. I worked for a medical group and as they were discussing this they all turned to me asking if I was going to go. I said that I thought that I had to wait five years to be considered a survivor, and they were all stunned and said no. So I went on the walk. Before that incident I didn't think I counted in the statistics at all. Now I say I found it December of 1999 and started treatment in January of 2000 and I completed chemo in July of 2000. By the way, my cancer has returned. I finished radiation and I am in limbo now to see if more has to be done. I don't like the limbo time.

Answer 3

We count from 4 September this year, when hubby got the sign-off from active treatments. So effectively when the treatments stopped and the post-treatment tests came back clear.

Your "end of radiation" sounds sensible to me. The tamoxifen is a preventative drug (if I remember correctly) rather than a treatment of an active cancer.

So it'll soon be your 1st anniversary - congratulations!

Answer 4

I started counting the day i was diagnosed (6 years and 2 months ago). Any date is arbitrary, and you will be a cancer survivor until you die. Some people say the time to say that you are "cured" is five years, but all that really means is that MOST people relapse or progress within 5 years. That is true of leukemia, lymphoma, lung, liver or colon cancer, but unfortunately for us, breast cancer can recur many years later. I say we are NOW survivors.

Answer 5

My dad was just had surgery to remove a tumor in his colon. His doctor told him 5 years is when you start counting. Because all the statistics about chemo/radiation and survivor rates are based on recurrence or non recurrence after five years