Facing a Breast Cancer Recurrence
- Amid breast cancer recurrence, “Dancing With The Stars” alum Samantha Harris, 50, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40, is preparing for her second surgery after her recurrence diagnosis, just months after undergoing a partial mastectomy—and throughout it all she appears to be maintaining a positive outlook on the future.
- Cancer patients with a positive attitude are more likely to have positive outcomes, according to Colorectal Surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Dr. Zuri Murrell.
- Dr. Dana Chase, a Gynecologic Oncologist at UCLA Health, also it’s important to try to focus on the good, stay positive, and do things that bring you joy to the degree you’re able to do so amid battling a disease like cancer.
- “We know, actually from good studies, that emotional health, quality of life is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better survival, better outcomes,” Dr. Chase tells SurvivorNet.
Harris, who beat cancer at age 40, learned about her second diagnosis, which was found “in the same exact location” of her initial breast cancer, this past summer. Shortly after she underwent a partial mastectomy. And now, months later, she’s set for her second surgery in her cancer recurrence battle.
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Harris continued, “So this will be my fifth breast surgery in 10 years. Three from my primary diagnosis in 2014. My cancer tumor for the recurrence was removed in August of this year.
“Then I’m going back for what will hopefully be the last, forever, of any breast surgeries.”
Harris had a surgical clip placed in her breast to mark where the new malignant tumor was on August 13, followed by a partial mastectomy to remove the cancer.
The mom of two and inspirational health guru, captioned her post, “Surgical update for my breast cancer recurrence 2024. Born out of my breast cancer in 2014, came my pain-to-purpose.
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“After a wonderful and high-profile career as an Emmy-winning television host and journalist, I went back to school to become a certified health coach as well. I love and continue my workin television, but it is the work I do with each of you either in my YOUR HEALTHIEST HEALTHY wellness community, Retreats, or live zoom workshops, it gives me so much fulfillment and helps me to make sense of my diagnosis.”
Expert Resources to Help Patients With Recurrence
- How To Reduce the Risk Of A Breast Cancer Recurrence
- Finding a Way to Live, Learn, and Cope With a Cancer Recurrence
- 1 in 5 Cancer Survivors Believe Taking Supplements Will Prevent Recurrence; Don’t Rely on Alternative Medicine
- NATALEE Trial Supports Use of Kisqali with HR+/HER2- Early-Stage Breast Cancer at Increased Risk of Recurrence
- New Studies Suggest Breastfeeding, Which TV Personality Coco Austin Did For Years, After Breast Cancer May Reduce Recurrence Risk or New Breast Cancer Diagnoses
- Exciting New Option For HR+, HER2- Breast Cancer Recurrence: With the Approval of Truqap, More Women Can Be Treated With Targeted Therapy
We’re very pleased to see Harris powering through cancer recurrence with her continued goal of using her story to help others, while staying healthy herself.
Journalist Katie McCall commented, “Thank you for using your voice to amplify the need to take care of our bodies. Wishing you a great outcome.”
A fan also wrote in the comments, “You are such a treasure to all of us. Let this be the last one!”
“You truly are one very big inspiration you are a true fighter and always come out a winner. I’m very impressed with how strong you truly are in conquering this Heath issue you have been dealing with you are a true warrior sweet Samantha you’re super amazing,” another fan commented.
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Samantha’s Breast Cancer Journey
Harris was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2014 despite finding nothing during a mammogram.
“It missed the cancer in my right breast,” Harris said on her blog. “Two doctors told me the lump I found 11 days later was ‘nothing.’
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“Finally, four months after finding that lump, I went to see a breast cancer specialist (a surgical oncologist), someone whose main job it is to look at breasts all day and specializes in the detection of breast cancer.”
After a follow-up MRI, biopsy, and ultrasound, Harris’ cancer was still not found. But doctors decided to remove some of her breasts for further testing because they could tell “something was not right.”
“We decided to take it out,” she explained. “Thank goodness, because when the pathology from that lumpectomy came back, it was indeed invasive carcinoma, in addition to the less concerning ductal carcinoma in situ.”
She treated her breast cancer with a bilateral mastectomy, also called a double mastectomy, which removes both breasts. After that, she underwent breast reconstructive surgery.
During reconstruction, plastic surgeons can reconstruct your breasts with implants or with your tissue taken from some other place on your body, such as your back, your abdomen, or your inner thigh.
Harris’ cancer did spread to one lymph node, but doctors decided she didn’t need chemotherapy or radiation.
The mother of two was ultimately declared “cancer-free” with close monitoring “for the rest of what doctors tell [her] is sure to be a long, healthy life,” however, on August 14, she went public with a second breast cancer diagnosis.
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She explained in a video clip shared on her Instagram page, Harris explained, “But I have a recurrence of breast cancer. And I feel so fortunate to have been able to guide, support and lead so many of you and I will continue to do so — and I will fight on. And I will be okay.”
RELATED: Samantha Harris, 50, Announces Second Breast Cancer Diagnosis- Her Treatment Options
“And I am so grateful for my family and my close friends,” Harris added. “And as I lean on them, I reach out to lean on you during this time and I will continue to share more as my treatment plan unravels and … see you soon.”
Tips On Reducing Chance of Breast Cancer Recurrence
As triumphant as breast cancer survivors can feel after learning they are cancer free, many worry about recurrence.
While the chance of recurrence varies based on the biology of the tumor, the stage it was when diagnosed and the treatment received, according to the Susan G. Komen organization, “Most people diagnosed with breast cancer will never have a recurrence.”
Dr. Erica Mayer, a breast cancer medical oncologist at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, previously told SurvivorNet, “Once a patient has finished his or her active therapy for breast cancer, we will often refer to that time as breast cancer survivorship.
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“This is a time when patients are still being actively monitored by their treatment team, not only to ensure that they remain healthy and cancer-free in the years ahead, but also making sure that they have recovered from any side effects of their initial treatment, and that they are pursuing healthy behaviors for example, getting regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, and keeping up with all their other routine medical care.”
But recurrence does happen, so it’s important to do everything you can to reduce your risk.
Here are some tips:
1. Follow Treatment Guidelines
“The best way to reduce your risk of recurrence with breast cancer is to follow treatment guidelines and complete the course of treatment that’s given,” says Dr. Port, who sat down with SurvivorNet and offered the following advice.
For example, she says many women have breast cancer that’s hormonally driven, and there are treatments that they give, such as pills like Tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors, to reduce the risk of these hormonally-driven cancers coming back. The issue is that the course of treatment may call for patients to take the pills for 5-10 years. While some have no side effects, others may experience a host of unpleasant side effects, even to the point where they’re severely debilitated and have no quality of life on these medications.
“So the challenge is to work with every individual person to make sure we give her the best chance of getting through these treatments and enjoying the benefits of these treatments, which is the lowest rate of cancer coming back,” Port says.
2. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Maintaining a healthy weight may also reduce the risk.
“We know that obesity or being overweight can increase the risk of cancer recurrence in breast cancer,” Port says. “And so I say, maintaining a healthy body weight, whatever that is for the individual… You know, we talk a lot about healthy body weight, and there’s a very big range of this, but there are certain numbers beyond which it does affect one’s health. So we try to keep people within a range of a healthy body weight.”
3. Limit Alcohol
Port says the other lifestyle factor that may increase one’s risk of breast cancer recurrence is heavy alcohol intake.
“We say alcohol in moderation is probably fine, which is defined as three to five drinks a week,” Port told SurvivorNet. “More than that can also potentially increase the risk of recurrence. So the big lifestyle factors are healthy body weight and moderate alcohol intake.”
4. Eat a Healthy Diet
She says there’s no one dietary element that you can eat or consume to give you an edge against breast cancer recurrence. It’s not eating more broccoli or eating more blueberries or becoming a vegetarian. She says the fact that sugar feeds cancer is a big myth too. However, everything you eat does contribute to your overall health.
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“These things are all really helpful in maintaining an overall healthy well-balanced diet and also to maintain healthy body weight. We know that diets that are heavy in sugar content are also usually unhealthy and can lead to weight issues. So it all really funnels back to maintaining a healthy body weight when it comes to lifestyle factors.”
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Staying Positive Despite Adversity
We admire Samantha Harris’s optimistic outlook amid breast cancer recurrence, which is why we’d like to point out how SurvivorNet specializes in covering the lives of people who overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Often, seeing the positive helps them maintain their resilience.
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Dr. Zuri Murrell, an oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously spoke to SurvivorNet about the role of a positive outlook on survival rates, saying, “I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”
Resilience is an important trait, but not the easiest to build. The ultimate goal is not to avoid tough times, but to be able to bounce back from them. And yet, when they are faced with an overwhelming, life-changing situation, how do people shift their view? How do they learn to see the problem as temporary, rather than permanent, and figure out a solution?
It’s complicated, because building resilience is more about your mental and emotional fortitude than anything else. According to the American Psychological Association, “the resources and skills associated with more positive adaptation (i.e., greater resilience) can be cultivated and practiced.”
RELATED: Check Out SurvivorNet’s Resources on Mental Health
In other words, resilience is not something you’re born with, which should be encouraging. Instead, after every challenge in your life, you build more and more resilience to those hard times.
Dr. Dana Chase, a Gynecologic Oncologist at UCLA Health, also says it’s important to try to focus on the good, stay positive, and do things that bring you joy to the degree you’re able to do so amid battling a disease like cancer.
“We know, actually from good studies, that emotional health, quality of life is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better survival, better outcomes,” Dr. Chase said in an earlier interview.
SurvivorNetTV Presents: Maintaining a Positive Headspace
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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