Tamoxifen Shrinkage Success Stories?

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Anonymous
Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
Tamoxifen Shrinkage Success Stories?

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited January 2021

    Coffee - I just read your other thread & I understand you are DeNovo stage IV. Although I won't post there as I'm not stage IV - since you are looking for doc recommends, you need to tell people where you live. No point in giving you a recommend that you can't get to.

    That said, because I read your other thread, are you looking to use Tamoxifen as your major or only treatment besides surgery?

  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited January 2021

    I'd start with one of the major NCI hospitals. Here's a link.

    https://www.cancer.gov/research/infrastructure/can...


  • jhl
    jhl Member Posts: 333
    edited January 2021

    Hello again Coffeepleez,

    I do not have personal knowledge of anyone who has had a tumor shrink after Tamoxifen. However, from studies, approximately 41% of treated women show some shrinkage. These statistics do not correlate with one individual case but do show trends. Would you be willing to share your age? Have you had any genetic studies and an Oncotype done on the tissue? Do you know if you have any positive nodes?

    Here are the NCCN guidelines for breast cancer: https://www2.tri-kobe.org/nccn/guideline/breast/en... These guidelines are very detailed on the treatment modalities based on tissue histology, hormone receptor status and gene expression.

    Do you recall what treatment you had for your childhood cancer? Was it chemotherapy, radiation or both? That may influence choices made now.

    Again, best of luck moving forward,

    Jane

  • jhl
    jhl Member Posts: 333
    edited January 2021

    After hearing about your adrenocortical carcinoma in childhood, I would really really encourage you to contact either Dana Farber, MD Anderson or Memorial Sloan Kettering. These institutions support cancer genetics programs & specifically work with inherited gene mutations. Your rare childhood cancer may be associated with a specific tumor suppressor gene which could have implications for testing on your breast cancer. Your surgery in the 1990s was probably groundbreaking since that is now the treatment of choice for your type of cancer. However, your adrenocortical carcinoma is part of a group of cancers that can be expressed because of a mutation in a that gene. In my case, genetic testing was done automatically. If it was not done in your case, I would encourage you to press to have it done.

    Again, if I was in your shoes, I would start by contacting one of the three institutions above to speak to an oncologist about your specific situation. I would worry about treatment later and try to get to the bottom of why you not only had the rare childhood cancer but now also the breast cancer, which at 44 is a relatively young age. I think you would get plenty of oncologists & surgeons who would treat the breast cancer. But, if it were me, I would want my entire cancer experience be taken in context. I actively discourage Dr Google however you can look up childhood adrenocortical carcinoma + adult breast cancer.

    We have come so far in cancer research & treatment since 1990 and I would encourage you to look farther than 3 years.

    Jane

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