correlation betwe breast cancer & cervical/uteran cancer

I asked that question of my onc and gyn when I was considering whether to get just an ooph or go for the total hysterectomy.  I was told no correlation.  My risk of uterine cancer was no more than any other woman.

 I will preface this by saying that my family is positive for the HNPCC gene mother, sister,niece, myself ...ok M, Sis and me all have had gyne cancers...sister had stg 1 breast radiation and 1 year later uterine cancer ,age 48 breast,she had been put on tamoxifen as soon as she presented with utetrine they took her off tamox..I really dont think the tamox had anything to do with her uterine because one of the cancers linked to HNPCC is uterine .I in return presented with early satge uterine in Jan 08 age 48...in June of 09 my breast cancer journey started .Mom has had ovarian, bowel x2, ureter and is 82 years old as of today..her ca all linked to HNPCC.

Some studies have linked breast to HNPCC but most have not..

I started putting it all together when my uterine was discovered ...they at the time said my sisters breast cancer was a FLUKE...yea right thanks !!

I'm already going to have a double mast and an oomph.  I figure that's enough.  I'll deal with a hysterectomy if something comes up that indicates it's necessary.  We've delved into our family history and believe the BRCA mutation comes from my grandfather on my mom's side.  However  my grandmother had a hysterectomy years ago (when my mom was in high school) and eventually died of bone cancer.  And my mom's sister died from cervical cancer.  But I'm still adamant in only fighting what I currently have in front of me.  I don't want to add any unnecessary complications.

I'm alittle confused. I have been on tamox for last 3 years and was tested to check if I am postmenopause, results came back I am. Yesterday I had to have a vaginal scan and a biopsy of the uterus, due to abnormal bleeding, the gyny doctor told me that there may be a chance of cancer due to the tamoxifen. Next week I have to have an ultrasound and return in 2 weeks for results. Has anyone else gone through this, I am quite worried, any advice or feedback would be much appreciated. thanks

Dawn.x  

Dawn, I hope everything's normal.

When I started tamox I looked up SE's and saw that while it does increase the chance of endometrial cancer, it increases it from 1 in 2,000 to 1 in 1,000. What's more common (though I don't remember numbers) is thickening of uterine walls.

It's good your doc is being careful. 

Leah

The oncs at my hospital have a policy of testing the endometrium prior to placing someone on tamoxifen. For some reason they didn't do this for me. Less than a year after being on tamoxifen I noticed a slight discoloration. Mentioned it to my onc and she immediately sent me to a gyn to have an endometrial ultrasound that showed thickening of the lining. The gyn did a biopsy that day. Results showed complex hyperplasia but not cancer. The recommendation at that point was to do a hysterectomy and oopherectomy. After surgery, pathology confirmed early stage endometrial cancer. The biopsy happened to miss the cancer as it was cribiform. Luckily it had not gotten into the uterine wall and surgery was considered curative. The point is, I guess, that anyone being offered tamoxifen should have an ultrasound of the endometrium done prior and at regular intervals during the treatment. Also, if you notice any discoloration - no matter how slight - RUN to the gyn. Do not ignore it.

Anyway, to answer your question - yes, I've gone through it. It's been two years since my laproscopic hyst & ooph; I feel great. I no longer take tamoxifen. Low fat diet and exercise is my recommended treatment per my onc.

Rose---my oncologist told me that while on tamoxifen, 25% will continue with regular periods, 50% will have irregular periods, and 25% will stop altogether. Mine became very light and very irregular. A mild vaginal discharge is normal while on tamoxifen, but any abnormal heavy bleeding should be reported right away to your doctor. I developed large ovarian cysts while on tamoxifen (although my gyn and onc said the tamox didn't cause them) which ruptured--I ended up with a TAH/BSO (everything removed)--so I would recommend a yearly transvaginal ultrasound to monitor both the ovaires and the uterine lining. (despite this, I continued to take tamoxifen after surgery due to high risk--it is a very good preventative medication and most people tolerate it well with minimal SEs, mainly hot flashes.

Anne

http://www.livestrong.com/article/26645-tamoxifen-effects-endometrium/

Just to clarify, with all due respect, cervical cancer is not the result of too many sexual partners. It is the result of engaging in unprotected sex with a partner who has been exposed to gential HPV.  Unfortunately, sometimes an infant can be exposed to HPV during birth, especially if the mother is unaware she has been exposed. It is rare, but it can happen.

To quote www.cancer.org:

"Genital HPV is a very common virus. Some doctors think it is almost as common as the common cold virus. In the United States, over 6 million people (men and women) get an HPV infection every year. Almost half of the infections are in people between 15 and 25 years of age. About one-half to three-fourths of the people who have ever had sex will have HPV at some time in their life."

Hi ladies- I deleted my post because Hopefor30 is correct. I did further research and I realized there is a lot of contradictory info regarding tamoxifin and I don't want to mislead anyone. Lynne

im glad i came across these posts.  Although I was prescribed Tamoxifen i had some reservations about taking it.  My obgyn suggested that we do a baselinge ultrasound to make sure there werent any issues.  That was in 8/09 and she said the lining was thick and she wanted to continue to montior.  So..since then based on abnormal bleeding and pain she did an in office biopsy procedure...which indicated "glandular focal crowding" ...again wanting to do a follow up.  Next follow up....she said the lining was thick and she wants to do an in hospital biopsy (my understanding is to get more of tissue sample). in the meantime i am scheduled for another ultrasound this friday to see if it is a better time to see anything.  I am now feeling bloated and my friend pointed out that my abdomen looked swollen!!  Anyway.JANMarch

  ...i am sending wishes for a healthy biopsy report and interested in following your next steps 

Hi Ladies,

I will be taking Tamxifen after rads. I am also concerned with this topic. Does anyone know if having endometriosis makes the risk for uterine cancer higher by taking tamoxifen?  

JanMarch..im happy for you that the results were benign.  now lets hope there are options to alleviate the pain and bloating.  I was watching Dr Oz the other dy (snowed in!) and it was discussing the fact that there are now more options for women other than hysterectomies.  Unfortunately the kids were in an out from playing in the snow so i didnt really get to concentrate...but i at least felt i could ask my Dr to discuss them with me.   Hope you are feeling more at ease!!      

"Dreaming", I disagree and take offense to your comment: "Cervical cancer is a result of too many sexual partners , this can be that the male has been promiscuous and the woman had one contact, or she had too many partners and unprotected sex; HPV is the primary cause.

It is preventable,with PAP smears and not having a high risk life style, and having protective sex."

Cervical cancer is caused by a strain of HPV, which is a sexually transmitted disease, but over 80% of the population has it and is not aware they do. There are many carriers who are not aware. There are over 3 million reported cases in the US each year; add that to the number those not reported or not known. HPV is not a lifelong disease. The body can, in many cases, heal this virus. So, you may be promiscuous and not have HPV or you could have only one or two partners and be positive for the virus. Furthermore, a PAP smear does not prevent HPV, but it can detect it.

The information below is from a Hematology/Oncology site: 

"Unlike other sexually transmitted infections, most signs and symptoms of HPV are nonexistent; therefore, most are unaware of their infection.

Of the more than 40 types of HPV, some types may cause genital warts and a small number may lead to cervical, vulvae, vaginal and anal cancers in women or anal and penile cancers in men.

According to the CDC, “Condom use may reduce the risk for genital HPV infection.” However, when compared with other sexually transmitted infections, condom use provides a lesser degree of protection because HPV can also be transmitted via exposure to infected skin or mucosal surfaces not protected by condom use.

In most girls, HPV infection is temporary and does not have a significant long-term effect. Within 1 year, 70% of HPV infections are cured; 90% are cured within 2 years. Yet, in 5% to 10% of women, HPV infection persists. These patients are at a significant risk for precancerous lesions of the cervix, which may lead to invasive cervical cancer within 10 to 15 years."

Perhaps a little more research would be in order before pronouncing judgement. I have HPV, and unfortunately mine has not resolved itself. I have had surgery to remove some precancerous lesions and am now facing a second surgery. I also just received news that my mammogram was off and they want to redo the xrays, so I'm a little frightened. I looked on this site to find out if there was any correlation between breast and cervical cancer and to maybe get some advice or support. It is disappointing that the first comment I read accused me of having too many sexual partners and unprotected sex. Please do not make statements that are based on opinion rather than fact.