Doctor Says Some Cancer Likely to Re-occur

By Katie Wiedemann, Dubuque Reporter

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By Katie Wiedemann

Story Created: Mar 22, 2007 at 4:23 PM CST

Story Updated: Mar 22, 2007 at 4:40 PM CST

DUBUQUE - Treatable but not curable is a common diagnosis for cancer patients. Doctors say especially when cancer re-occurs.

Ten years ago Carolyn Sandman got the news she had cancer.
Sandman said, "I was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. It had already metastasized to my bones."

Doctors gave her two years to live. But she beat the odds and lived a healthy life, for ten years.Two years ago, the cancer came back.
Sandman said, "They took a biopsy and it was tongue cancer, so they took a third of the left-side of the tongue."

A situation like this is not uncommon, according to Doctor Christian Schultheis.

Schultheis said, "Once it has spread outside the area of the breast, you can't take that out because it's either spread by the blood or its spread by the lymph nodes."

Doctor Schultheis says follow-up care is the key to detecting re-occurring cancer.

Schultheis said, "I think we are learning more from the data that breast cancer can be a chronic disease that we're treating for life long and understand that 10-15-20 years it can come back."

Sandman followed that advice. She also has used humor, hope and a positive attitude to get through the past decade.

Today the healthy and happy woman has a message for Elizabeth Edwards.

Sandman said, "And with a great attitude and great doctors and with a great spiritual life, you will be a long time survivor, like me."

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