Women work through issues related to breast cancer in different ways.  The best thing a woman who has had breast cancer can do is to take the same routine health maintenance steps recommended for all of us. 

After surviving breast cancer, most women find that "normal" is usually not what it was before. In fact, many speak about finding their "new normal."   One of the major issues in achieving that is developing a plan and a philosophy around fears that the cancer might recur.

Yes, women who have had breast cancer are at risk for getting it again.  However, while about 25 percent of women are likely to have a recurrence in their lifetime, it's important to realize that this also means that 75 percent of them won't develop cancer again.

Many factors contribute to breast cancer recurrence so the risk of recurrence is different for every woman.  Women should talk to their doctors about their personal prognosis.

The good news is that the trends are going in the right direction.  The breast cancer death rate is dropping as more women get regular mammograms and doctors detect cancers at earlier stages when treatments are most successful. Localized cancer that has not spread to lymph nodes or other locations has a 5-year survival rate of 97 percent. And today, chemoprevention drugs, like Tamoxifen, are proving to be very effective in preventing a recurrence of cancer in patients with hormone-receptor positive breast cancer. 

There are many steps women can take to improve their chances of staying healthy. 

The first is to fully understand their prognosis for recurrence, the potential long term side effects of their treatment and all associated options.  If a woman's history is suspicious for metastasis or long-term treatment side effects are expected to be significant, more intense monitoring may be recommended. 
 
Breast cancer survivors should be religious about adhering to a regular schedule for well doctor visits, including those for clinical breast exams and mammograms.  Research has shown that survivors who get a new primary tumor in either breast have the same prognosis as any other person with a new primary cancer, so early detection is crucial.  And, just like everybody else, breast cancer patients and survivors still need Pap smears as well as screening for other diseases. 

Most importantly, women must refocus on taking care of their general health.  It's a fact.  The primary cause of death in women who have had breast cancer is not cancer; it's cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death for women over 50.  If women work toward a healthy lifestyle – following a balanced diet and maintaining an appropriate weight, exercising regularly, not smoking, and getting appropriate sleep – they've got it all covered.  While healthy living can't guarantee a disease-free life, it goes a long way toward optimizing the odds.