HRT and breast cancer
 

I'm posting a link to this information I found as I investigate what genetic predisposition I might have to developing breast cancer as a result of HRT. I just had my GYN appointment yesterday, and she knows NOTHING beyond the BRCA gene. Meanwhile, she's upped my does of estrogen (at my request).

Note this company offers the gene test described, so obviously there's a bias.

http://www.estrogengenetest.com/wp-c...troduction.pdf

CYP1A1 Cytochrome P450 1A1
• Fast metabolizers efficiently convert a potentially carcinogenic estrogen, Estrone, to a more desirable estrogen metabolite, 2-OHE1

CYP1B1 Cytochrome P450 1B1
• Fast metabolizers favor the conversion from estrone to a potentially carcinogenic estrogen, 4-OHE1

CYP3A4 Cytochrome P450 3A4
• Fast metabolizers quickly convert estrones to potentially carcinogenic estrogens, 4-OHE1 and 16-OHE1

COMT Catechol-O-methyltransferases
• Slow metabolizers do not convert the potentially carcinogenic estrogen 4-OHE1 to the more favorable 4-MeOE1

GSTP1, GSTM1, GSTT1 Glutathione-S-transferases
• Slow metabolizers or gene deficient individuals do not convert the potentially carcinogenic estrogen 4-OHE1 to the more favorable Glutathione Conjugates

MnSOD Manganese superoxide dismutase
• Reduced MnSOD enzyme activity is associated with potentially genotoxic Free Radical formation

Association of COMT Haplotypes and Breast Cancer Risk in Caucasian Women

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3086748/

"In this large population-based case control study, we found no significant overall association between breast cancer risk and COMT haplotypes, although two individual haplotypes, with frequencies of 3.7% and 2.4% in the controls, were significantly associated with decreased breast cancer risk.

A total of six COMT SNPs were genotyped (A total of six COMT SNPs were genotyped (rs1544325, rs174674, rs7290221, rs2239393, rs4680 and rs4646316)."

https://www.23andme.com/you/explorer...name=rs1544325

https://www.23andme.com/you/explorer..._name=rs174674

https://www.23andme.com/you/explorer...name=rs7290221

https://www.23andme.com/you/explorer...name=rs2239393

https://www.23andme.com/you/explorer...np_name=rs4680

https://www.23andme.com/you/explorer...name=rs4646316

CYP1B1 Cytochrome P450 1B1 - rs1056836

https://www.23andme.com/you/explorer...name=rs1056836

SNPedia Info: http://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Rs1056836

_______________________________________

rs4880

http://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Rs4880

https://www.23andme.com/you/explorer...np_name=rs4880

Really long thread discussing it:

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index...e.23147/page-2

Wow that is some research you are doing!;)

Janieg, for sure you are doing a lot of your own research.

Back in 1991, and I was 53, I was having a hard time after menopause times. I'm trying to recollect it all but I remember finally going with Premrin as that is what all the doctors were giving to women. I don't know if it's still around or not.

My breasts got rock hard and then I started to do what research I could via Alterantive Medicine Magazine that I was subscribing to. AM is not pro premrin. I did get off it and don't recall how long it was until I "found" integrative MD's.... Thinking back, one the first bloods that Dr. Gruenn did was DHEA. I never heard of it. I was low. Maybe I was in my late 50's just don't recall all the timelines. I was put on DHEA and have been taking it ever since. I get my DHEA levels monitored annually and feel this is the right path for me and breast health and my daily iodine.

During all these years too I was living with a sluggish thyroid and for 10 yrs the MD I was seeing dismissed it all and went by the lab numbers.....not symptoms. Long long saga on that issue.

Anyway, I really trust Life Extension Foundation's work and all their research and thought I'd post this informative link.

http://www.lifeextensionfoundation.o...hments_01.html

So my thoughts on breast health.

Thanks for all the info, Caroline. I'll read through it all.

As coincidence would have it, I just ordered some DHEA after reading it could possibly help with cortisol levels.

I was so disgusted with my gyn after my visit on Thursday that I was spitting fire. I can't believe I'm having to do this research on my own. Well, yes I can. Having been through what I've been through with SFN, I shouldn't be surprised.

What got me going on this was a post I just saw by this health and nutrition guy:

http://metabolichealing.com/cyp1b1-g...mone-toxicity/

I've since found a Hopkins gyn who might be my next step. She specializes in menopause issues and is only about 30 minutes away. I really don't like playing around with hormones like I am, but to date, I don't feel like I've had a choice.

Do research and think hard on DHEA. I've done enough years of MD's and I know I'm older than you but at 77 I think I'm pretty OK all in all. Not perfect but I never was -- I was better years back but today it's another story.

I think I do well on DHEA and my skin etc show it. So few people in my life know about DHEA...they all stick with HMO's and conventional MD's and these docs probably don't even look at DHEA. I don't know that for sure but my guess. C

Janieg, don't know if you saw it, but I started a DHEA post on the Sexual Disorder section here...it's gotten a lot of interest.

Thanks, I'll go check it out.

I did more reading on DHEA last night, and it's a little scary. The constant theme seems to be "don't do without medical oversight."

hi Janie,
forgive me for not reading through your entire post. eye issues.

I had breast cancer, was dx'ed March 2015.

I don't know why you are taking estrogen(my apologies, have not been on forums much lately) but my medical oncologist gave me 3 reasons, potentially, why I got BC and one of them was using HRT for menopause. The other two were being on birth control pills in my younger days and not having had children. I am not really sure why he told because it is moot at this point.

I was stunned when I was told I had breast cancer and if I had my life to live over and know what I know now, if the doc was correct, I would have used another method for birth control and not done HRT.

You are smart to research and take matters into your own hands.
I wish you the best Janie.
Diandra

Janie, it's BEST to get DHEA levels tested, as from years of reading about it, our levels start to drop at 20 and I've read 30.....so I'd say MOST are deficient in DHEA. Conventional MD's as I said probably don't test DHEA but I'm not sure on that....I don't see conventional MD's, as for me it's beneficial to go out the conventional box for my health maintenance. You could at least ask your doctors about DHEA.

There is a lot of fear out there but there is a lot of deficiencies going on too and conventional doctors don't get those for us...so many do go outside the "normal" medicine world. To address what we're losing with age makes sense to me. C

BTW: There are books written on DHEA and I bought one a long time ago. Written by doctor.

Wow, thanks for all this. This is something I've been researching for a long time. It may offer some explanation regarding the mystery of my neuropathy, at least a chunk of it. There are labs that can test for this and many other treatments that may cause more harm than good.

This is one of the labs that offers testing.


http://www.iversongenetics.com/emetab-panel.html

Hi Diandra,

Well, I've pretty followed the same road you have.

I was on the BCP for about 20 years and never had children. My neuropathy hit the month after I stopped taking them when I was 52. It may just be coincidence, but between the timing of it and the timing of when I flare badly now, I feel there's a hormonal component to this. Having done a lot of Googling on a possible connection, I see a lot of people saying there certainly can be one, but not much beyond that. To date, no doctor I've seen seems to know anything about it.

I definitely feel like the very strong "buzzing" I sometimes have in the morning accompanied by a racing heart is cortisol levels. That's the only thing that makes sense. It calms down when I get moving in the morning.

The other thing that happened to me is after about 2 or 3 months of being off the pill, my heart went berserk. I started having crazy palpitations to the tune of 1300 in 24 hours when they put a holter on me. I thought it was from the stress of neuropathy. Long story short, it was about this time I wondered about a hormonal cause for my neuropathy, and called my gyn. She prescribed low dose estradiol which did nothing for my neuropathy, but stopped the palpitations within a couple of days.

So I know something is going on hormone-wise...I just don't know what.