Use of Estrogen Alone after Hysterectomy and BC

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dAd
dAd Member Posts: 94
edited November 2016 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

I have just read a study, "Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Cancer" published by the National Cancer Institute which states:

"Women taking estrogen alone experienced the following benefits:

  • One third lower risk for hip and vertebral fractures ... and,
  • A 23 percent reduced risk of breast cancer ... In absolute terms, this meant 26 cases of invasive breast cancer per 10,000 women per year who took estrogen compared with 33 cases of invasive breast cancer per 10,000 women who took the placebo.
The study is based on postmenopausal women who received estrogen alone following a hysterectomy.

I don't know if any further studies of this population have been done but I for one would like to know a great deal more as the hot flashes I'm having are making my life miserable. The standard approach for all women with hormone receptive BC is no estrogen replacement regardless of whether or not we still have our uteruses.

Anyone?

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  • dAd
    dAd Member Posts: 94
    edited October 2016

    Sorry - here is the link:

    https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevent...

    Anne

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  • inks
    inks Member Posts: 746
    edited October 2016

    The part that you are referring to is a study done on women with no prior history of breast cancer this would not apply to somebody who has already had cancer. After natural menopause or when one has ovaries removed our bodies still produce estrogen. It is produced in the brain and fat.

    Are you having hot flashes because you are taking tamoxifen or an AI? If you were to take estrogen to reduce hot flashes then it would feed your cancer. Some women take certain antidepressant to relive hot flashes.

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  • dAd
    dAd Member Posts: 94
    edited October 2016

    Thanks Inks. Hot flashes are making my life miserable so maybe this was wishful thinking on my part. I do intend, however, to delve further into this issue as I have seen a few references to the impact of estrogen only to lower risks of recurrence.

    Anne

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  • dtad
    dtad Member Posts: 2,323
    edited November 2016

    Hi everyone. I actually think we are going to be hearing more and more about this. IMO we need the small amount of estrogen that we have when we are post menopausal. I think its much more important to balance our hormones then to deprive our bodies of every last drop of estrogen. I think most of know what the SE of no estrogen can do to us. I understand this is a controversial opinion but that is how I feel. Good luck to all navigating this disease....

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  • dAd
    dAd Member Posts: 94
    edited November 2016

    I completely agree dtad and so do a number of researchers I've come across looking into this issue. There was tremendous discussion about the downside of HRT in 2002 when the data from the Million Women Study was made public. However there have been a number of researchers (notably Rowan Chleblowski) who have continued to investigate and evaluate the impact of estrogen only replacement for women who have had their uteruses and ovaries removed.

    Inks makes a good point regarding the potential impact of estrogen replacement on those of us already diagnosed with BC. What I would really like to know is how many women with BC who have been taken off estrogen have died from heart disease and/or colon cancer both of which are high risk after estrogen has been discontinued.

    I was prescribed lestrozole and zometa both of which caused such appalling side effects that I stopped them recently due to their impact on my quality of life. Some of their side effects can also result in death and, let's face it, death is death whether it is caused by cancer or some other means.

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  • dtad
    dtad Member Posts: 2,323
    edited November 2016

    Hi there...Agreed! Unfortunately I don't think we will ever see a study on those of us who have chosen not to take anti hormones. Who would pay for it? Certainly not any drug company. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Why are those on anti hormone treatment not having their hormone levels check? Just does not make sense to me. Good luck to all

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