tamoxifin and endometrial cancer

Did another ultrasound and MRI this morning. This time it was focused more on my kidneys. The US tech said he didn't see anything and sounded bored to death looking at my kidneys. I am taking that as a very good sign! So now I wait, and wait. I can't get in to even see the gyno until late Oct. I hate that.

yay perky, glad for your good news

I hope you get good news. I don't know how people do this...

Sorry you had a hysterectomy but glad you are doing well. You are so right, the waiting is the worst!  Does anyone know what our options are? Lupron shots or hysterectomy or take a big risk? Is that it?

Perky...I also had fibroids diagnosed along with a recurrent polyp when I began my journey.  With my baseline transvaginal sonogram they were found.  I had polyps several years before I was diagnosed.  I began taking the Tamoxifen AND lupron injections and the fibroids disappeared, leaving the lonely polyp.  The doctors were in a "watchful waiting" period since I had NO symptoms.  I started getting a clear discharge after 16 months on the Tamoxifen and my endometrium grew to 9mm thickeness.  They told me had I not been symptomatic, they would have waited even longer...but they would NOT wait had the endometrium grown to 11 mm. 

I spoke to my physician assistant at the MO on Wednesday.  She said if the biopsy is negative (I'm still waiting), she still thinks I'll be able to continue taking the tamoxifen.  She said they expect with some women for the endometrium to get thicker, but as long as they watch carefully, she didn't think it was a problem for me to continue.  I'll be taking lupron injections for another 6 months, until my 55 birthday, and then stop for three months and check my menopausal status before deciding whether or not I still need the lupron.  If I have a positive biopsy...all bets are off.  Might just get rid of everything...I hope it doesn't come to that, because my plan was to take Tamoxifen for 5 years and then switch to an AI for 5 years pending whatever research is out there....

BTW...waiting doesn't bother me at all.  I was already diagnosed with cancer.  Like you, I have survived several life threatening illnesses in the past, they really can't scare me anymore.  As long as my family is healthy and happy, I don't worry about my own health.  I know. I'm pretty stoic.

Juli50, yes, it was after 4 years that I developed simple hyperplasia of the endometrium. My gyn monitered the thickness of the lining, and even after 6 months, it was thicker than it should have been. So she would do a D and C, and send the contents for patholology. 3 times it was normal (although I did have many polyps once). Then the 4th D and C showed some simple hyperplasia. I decided on a partial hysterectomy to keep the hyperplasia from progressing even though a gyn/onc advised that I had a few other options. (I kept my ovaries and cervix after much consultation w/ docs).

I am one of the women for whom tamoxifen causes too much stimulation of the endometrium. It probably has to do with my "natural" hormone levels even without tamox, and my age and progress toward menopause.

I have thought for a long time that my body seemed estrogen dominant. When I breastfed my first child, my period came back in just 2 or 3 months, and the same thing happened after my second child when I was breastfeeding both of them! I suspect I made a lot of estogen and also was "supplemented" by all the estrogen mimicking chemicals all around us. I think both these things were factors in my developing breast cancer, and probably in my reaction to tamoxifen. Besides that, I have had few to no side effects from the tamox.

B9!





Another thing about my stoic nature is I don't spend time wondering how I got here. My 86 year old mother recently got a cancer diagnosis as well. She is pretty stoic too. She said, with all the people she has lost in her life, she knew eventually something would catch up to her. Her attitude is remarkable. The only drawback is that she now behaves hedonistic!

LaLisa - Thanks for sharing. I haven't had any SE's from Tamox except uterine lining thickening too. I hope I can stay on it for 3 more years. I can't take AI's because I got osteoporosis from chemo.

Nah! I grow stuff all the time and with the exception of BC, all my other growths( and there have been many) were, thankfully benign.

At just 1 year on tamoxifen, it is REALLY not likely to anything serious (that's what my gyn told me) but most gyns would probably want to check you out for the spotting without regular bleeding. It is not an emergency though, is my understanding, just something your gyn would want to be aware of. Or, maybe your period will actually start soon, that would be great!

Saw the GYN who already spoke to my PCP and ONC. I will be having a total hysterectomy Oct 25. Sigh. I'm at peace with it though.

Concerned about this.

I already have hyperplasia (sp) and had a Uterine biop and PAP  in Aug (came back good) - and Ultrasound (was on progesterone for one month but I hated it so I refused to take it again)

I am 51 - in "menopase" but still have regular periods. OBGYN was going to do a "scope" or look see....... but then  Sept - I get hit with the BC !  I am just wondering if this is all inter related some how - and if I should even be concerned with what is happening down below.

Perky, I just had a hysterectomy in July, laproscopic, kept ovaries and cervix. It was all pretty smooth, easy recovery. PM me if you want.

thanks for the info - on this - it is all so confusing and scary.

I dont know all of the specifics yet, but I will certainly ask about it

lalisa, thanks for posting this. 

from what I understand, the hormone imbalances of menopause and perimenopause can cause hyperplasia in any woman (not just women w bc), and gyns usually treat it with progesterone which reverses the hyperplasia.

I didn't have a clear understanding of hyperplasia, so your comment caused me to google and get better educated. (and good to know it's reversible.)