Estrogen Alone May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

PLEASE be careful with the estrogen. Here is what I know to be tested and true. Estrogen makes cells,, good ones and bad ones, Progesterone helps eliminate cells,good and bad, An example: before our periods, we have lots of estrogen making the cells that make up the endometrium and then when an egg is not embedded and the endometrium is no longer needed, Progesterone goes in and helps eliminate the cells and we have our period. In breast cancer, when estrogen is unopposed, or when there is not enough progesterone to kill off the bad cells, then cancer can form. Before you take ANY hormone, please have a saliva hormone test, then you can see what is needed. If your doctor won't do it, go to this site, it will be the most beneficial 150.00 you have ever spent. http://www.zrtlab.com/

My understanding is that estrogen alone is is strongly linked to endometrial cancer, for the reasons just stated, which is why women who have had hysterectomies are the only ones who get it.

No, it really doesn't, because "estrogen blocking" (not an entirely accurate description) is a treatment for breast cancer that already exists while this article is about possibly preventing it.  I don't think you are suggesting we actually give estrogen to women with cancers that have estrogen receptors, ready and waiting to be fed, do you?  And the problem with giving women estrogen to prevent bc is that they will get endometrial cancer instead.

Estrogen as a treatment for early stage er+ bc?  (I am familiar with treatment with estrogen for emts, but thats following a different theory).  I'm not debating.  If thats what you choose, its really not my concern.

This backs up what I was referring to with regard to mets and how estrogen can be used.  When anti-estrogens are used for a significant period of time, the cancer cells that respond to that die and what is left has adapted to the estrogen-less environment and then can't adapt when estrogen is re-introduced.  

 But be very careful here and read the actual article. Estrogen still fuels ER+ cancer and anti-estrogens have a proven track record of preventing recurrences of these cancers.  That is stated very explicitly in the article.  Estrogen does not prevent breast cancer, in many cases it fuels breast cancer.  Hormonal medications are still the most effective way to prevent a recurrence.  But for women with mets, the use of estrogen is another weapon.

 And this isn't new, they've been using if for a few years now.  But not early stage bc. 

I've always found this area of research very interesting. It's unfortunate that it, for the most part, went by the wayside when tamoxifen became a standard back in the 70's. I think a very prolonged timeframe of too much estrogen and not enough counterbalancing testosterone and progesterone had something to do with me getting the kind of breast cancer I did. Since I've now been in a natural menopause for 8 years and am therefore estrogen deprived to some extent, if I ever develop a more advanced ER+ cancer in the future, I think I might insist on some type of  estrogen therapy before anything else. It just makes sense - since both estrogen deprivation AND administration of estrogen can control some types of metastatic cancer, hormonal balance must play some important role in preventing cancer as well.

Here's an excerpt from the article (bold is mine):

"The result from the Women's Health Initiative Trial of ERT in hysterectomized women, which showed a sustained reduction in the incidence of breast cancer, provides additional evidence that the strategy to decipher the mechanism of physiologic estrogen to induce apoptosis has significance for both treatment and prevention," Drs. Jordan and Ford wrote.

Dr. Jordan stressed that the findings from Women's Health Initiative apply only to postmenopausal women who have had hysterectomies. These women could take estrogen without fear that it might cause breast cancer, and such an approach might even decrease the risk, but recommending estrogen to reduce breast cancer risk "would be premature," Dr. Jordan said. "What we have to do now is take on board this very important clinical result [from the Women's Health Initiative trial] and study the mechanism in detail. It may be that if hysterectomized women take estrogen replacement therapy, they at least have no increase in breast cancer," he suggested.

Leslie G. Ford, MD"Absolutely no one should be saying that estrogen replacement therapy is a potential chemopreventive for breast cancer in women," Dr. Ford said. The Women's Health Initiative trial result "is a piece of information that tells us about the safety of estrogen replacement therapy. So women can have the benefits of estrogen replacement therapy with regard to their bones and their well-being, and in reducing the frequency and severity of hot flashes," Dr. Ford said. "But they still need mammograms."

Dr. Jordan pointed out that estradiol "is available for physicians to use for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer." Physicians can use it "as a discretionary measure. If their patients have had multiple endocrine therapies, they should be able to consider that as an option that may provide some months of relief for their patients instead of going on to chemotherapy," he said.

"Nobody should be rushing off to the doctor saying, ‘I want to prevent breast cancer. Forget raloxifene. Give me some estrogen,'" Dr. Jordan continued. He also stressed that for women who are currently taking antihormone therapy to prevent metastatic breast disease, "You don't stop the treatment plan."

Good grief what next? My  head is in a spin, do this don't do that blah blah blah.

Just amazing that we have such opposite info to sort through, I just hate it. You would think if we can waste money blowing a f-n hole in the moon we ought to be able  figure this crap out.

You can  bet that if 1 in 8 guy's balls were falling off there would be plenty of money for proper research and get some solid direction.

LOL - I read Merilee's post too quickly and turned "solid direction" into....ah, never mind don't wanna get reported.

so flippin true!!!  if 1 in 8 had their balls fall off, "they" would be all over it! OMG, that was friggin perfect!!

L

ox

If there are any stray cancer cells in your body they could be fueled by the estrogen, so that is why it is off limits.  Some women have their ovaries removed for precisely this reason.

Yes, that is why many of us take AIs.  

 I have found that life without estrogen is just fine, which surprised me.  I know a lot of women have a tough time with this, but the only thing I've noticed is hot flashes. 

My understanding is that this study, and some other studies on estrogen, indicate that for non responsive bc, those which have stopped responding to anti estrogen and aromatase inhibitor therapies, that giving estrogen short term, stimulates a reinvigorated response to estrogen blockers, and AI therapies.