I have three important messages today for all women who are
concerned about the prevention and treatment of breast cancer - in
other words: all women.
Message One: If your doctor prescribes chemotherapy, this is the
question that must be asked: Is the cancer estrogen driven?
Most women are still not aware that about 75 percent of breast
cancer tumors in postmenopausal women are estrogen driven. For these
estrogen receptor-positive tumors, chemo has little or no effect,
while treatment with tamoxifen (a synthetic hormone-like drug that
prevents estrogen from binding to breast cancer cells) has been
shown to be far more effective than chemo, even if the cancer has
spread to lymph nodes.
Message Two: If you take tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer, there's
good news and bad news.
The good news: (Journal of the National Cancer Institute) Results
from the International Breast Cancer Intervention Study (IBIS)
showed that risk of estrogen receptor-positive tumors were reduced
by 31 percent in 3,579 women at high risk for breast cancer who took
20 mg of tamoxifen per day for five years.
Women who took tamoxifen were found to have 27 percent lower risk of
developing estrogen receptor-positive tumors.
Tamoxifen side effects dropped off after tamoxifen use was
discontinued.
The bad news: Although side effects dropped off, they didn't
disappear altogether.
Message Three: If you take tamoxifen, certain supplements may
promote a positive outcome.
Tamoxifen subjects who also took 100 mg of CoQ10, 50 mg of niacin,
and 10 mg of riboflavin for 45 or 90 days had significantly reduced
levels of two key markers that are usually elevated prior to
relapse. Women who are taking tamoxifen should talk with their
doctors before adding these supplements to their daily regimen.
Ted e B.
