Is this true? broccoli for ER+ bc?

Harley, what you have posted is true!

This is why , on my LAST Femara vacation, I bought a bottle of  DIM.

(Google DIM).

It 's a suppliment of crucerferous vegs which "regulates estrogen--encouraging HELPFUL estrogen, diminishing unhelpful estrogen."(Estradiol)

So when my vacation was over, I brought the bottle of DIM to my onc, to see what he had to say.(Could I take it instead of Femara?)He pored over the bottle, said it's good, and he suggests I take it WITH Femara.<sigh>

Which I've been doing.

But now am taking it alone again.

Yes, broccoli is definately good against bc.We're encouraged to eat it often.I, a broccoli-disliker, actually developed a taste for it!

Your currys encorporating brassicas sound great!

Have a wonderful weekend!

joan

Harley, I am so sorry you have this dilemma. My surgeon didn't mention Tamoxifen to me - probably because I am premenopausal? If he had, I know that I would be torn about taking it. Joan's suggestion of giving it a try is probably a good one. You could always reassess the situation if you didn't like it.

Thanks for your thoughts on broccoli too Joan. So estradiol is the bad estrogen...I remember a dietician telling my support group about all that - must go back and read my notes.

Yes, I have always loved vegetables and did so many of the "right" things and here I am with one breast. Oh well, it could have been a lot worse. I am sure a healthy diet still has many benefits.

I am sitting here in a sweat - it's very humid at the moment. It would be lovely at the beach but I don't have a car at the moment.

Love the sound of those dear kitties curled up on your bed. I went to a pet expo last weekend and cuddled a snake (small python) and a Burmese kitten. The snake was beautiful but I really fell in love with the kitten! She was SO affectionate and sweet! I am going away for a few weeks soon though and so the time is not right for a new pet.

Hugs,

gb 

Geebung,

Ok, I'm confused. "My surgeon didn't mention Tamoxifen to me - probably because I am premenopausal?" 

Hmmm, premenopausal women are the one's who benefit from tamox.  You have to be postmenapausal to take an AI.  Sooo, I'm lost.  I know they do things upside down in Australia, but this needs more explaining.

Harley and Tender, the green tea w/broccoli is calld "Brassica Tea"! My daughter and I were hooked on t.And are now having trouble finding it at Whole Foods.(The broccoli sprouts from "Brassica" at JH is still in the veggie dept....)

Harley, since I was dx, the only person n my family w/bc, my daughters had to have early mammos.

And my elder daughter--they actually found an IDC.

She had lumpectomy, and rads, since there was no nodal involvement.

Then her oncologist said she could do 5 years of tamox, just for the safety involved.

She is in about year 3.

And, Honey, she has never had hot flashes!OR any muscle or joint pain, etc etc.

So hot flashes are NOT an indication of whether a drug is working!

My daughter is in her 40s, but pre-meno, just for the record.

Geebung, G'day! Yes estradiol is the very bad guy.

And yes, eating broccoli does regulate our estrogens favorablyAs does DIM.I have to tell you, (AND TENDER)that some of the brilliant women here, a year or two ago, weighed in against DIM because they say it is like saying saccerin gives mice cancer.(ANYONE would get cancer taking the HUGE amounts of anything!)And DIM does give you a very big amount of brassica.They said how many plates of broccli would have to be eaten..of course I forget.

I cant count on eating broccoli.I wat my estrogens regulated favorably, AND I'm a romantic.I WANT to believe what labels say!

I was tossed out of  Sceptics Anon.

I DO respect good brands of suppliments, and my DIM is made by Nature's Way, a very good manufacurere.NOT Joe Blow's DIM.

And my onc indeed OKed it (although not INSTEAD of HT)

Last night I stir-fried some nice broccoli tops.I had left-over Chinese take-outSo guess what I finished and guess what I didnt have room for?

GB, it's my opinion that if your SURGEON said you're "too young"for tamox, it's because you dont need hormone therapy.

Because SURGEONS do NOT prescrive HT!You can tell that because yours has he facts completel backwards!But since you werent sent to an onc, I'm guessing you dont need it.(When I was being wheeled out of recovery, still pretty out of it, my surgeon was there, stuffing my onc's card in my hand, saying call NOW for an appt!)

Still, an onc can tell you the true facts about tamox, and even encourage you.(My daughter asked her onc whether he would suggest his wife took tamox in such a situation.And he thought about it & said "yes.")

Love to everyone, and do eat your broccoli!Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower count too!!

Hi {{{Puppy}}}!

"Harley and Tender, the green tea w/broccoli is calld "Brassica Tea"! My daughter and I were hooked on t.And are now having trouble finding it at Whole Foods.(The broccoli sprouts from "Brassica" at JH is still in the veggie dept....)"

You can buy  the Brassica Tea online at http://www.baltcoffee.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/2_17

I love it and hooked on it !! 

Harley, best, best, best of luck! Hopefully you will have 2 wonderfully easy years on tamox.

Harl--your sugeon knows. I've heard of surgeons having to go in and literally have to scrape the ribs bare.You sure do have breast tissue!I'm very happy your surgeon is taking great care of you, and sure, getting you mammos.

May everything be wonderful for you!

Our Sweet Puppy!I've not seen you since (heehee) the panties thread! Been fine? Glad to see your adorably name!XXX, j

Hi Harley,

I'm 31, pre-menopausal, diagnosed with ILC in Feb this year. Had left mastectomy, chemo, rads (because the tumor was so deep in the breast that they could only get 2mm margin between the pectoral, and my onc said they prefer 5mm).

So, Tamoxifen was the next logical step. And because I was extremely anxious, I looked at all avenues to not take it!

I asked my onc if I could have my ovaries taken out, to not produce estrogen. But she said that ovaries aren't the only place in the body where estrogen comes from. Interestingly, it also comes from fat cells. (Hence, I'm on a low fat diet).

Next I asked her if I could have a right mastectomy, thus not having breasts anymore, so no need for Tamox. But she said that the Tamoxifen will prevent mets as well? (Tender, anyone, is this true?)

I've been on the Tamox for 2 weeks now, and so far so good. No hot-flushes yet, no joint-pain. I am feeling very emotional though, but I think that I might have a little PMS.

Let me know how it's going with the Tamox!

God bless,

Janine

I encourage all of you, but especially Harley, to type "tamoxifen" in the search area at the top of this page and read what it says.  There is lots of other great information on this topic right here on this website.  I think it is important to really understand what it is you are taking and why.  For many years tamoxifen was the only antiestrogen treatment for women with breast cancer, regardless of menopausal status.  Now the aromatase inhibitors are available and work best for post menopausal women because they help to prevent your body from making estrogen out of your body fat.  But they aren't so great at blocking other estrogen.  Most of you who are finished treatment and are on one of these medications are taking it as an insurance policy that the cancer won't come back, not as a treatment for existing cancer.  But these medications are used that way for some women. 

And the deal with the breast tissue and mastectomy and recurrence?  It is almost impossible to be certain that every speck of breast tissue is gone with a mastectomy and all it takes is a speck.  Recurrences can also happen at the chest wall and along the scars.  This information is not to frighten you but to make you aware of what and why you are getting the treatment and advice you are getting from your physicians.