I hope you don’t mind my posting this. I first came on here when I had to have a mammogram, having hit 50. I’d had two bouts of mastitis when I was breastfeeding my children and the breast which was most affected has always been smaller than the other as a result. When I had a mammogram and they did that side, I nearly fainted with the pain. I have arthritis and always thought I had a high pain threshold until I had that mammogram.
I was on HRT for a few years after my son was born (he’s now 17 - I had post natal depression) and also I’ve been on it for the last four or five years for menopausal reasons. I also need to lose a lot of weight - don’t make me say my weight as I will cry!
My doctor has always said that HRT is good for my bones (as in preventing osteoporosis) and has always said that if I got breast cancer as a result, it would be a ‘good’ breast cancer - his words - I’m really sorry to have to say this, I’m just repeating what he has said.
I have read a lot of the threads here but haven’t seen many references to HRT. Do any of you think HRT was the cause of your breast cancer? Do any of you think that being heavier is inadvisable as far as breast cancer is concerned?
I don’t know how long I’m supposed to stay on the HRT. Just typing this makes me realise how hopeless my GP is.
Before I go, I have to say how inspirational I’ve found this forum. You women are incredible, the way you support each other.
I’ll start by saying what I think you expected to hear: I have no idea what your GP means about ‘good cancer’ - there’s no such thing and he sounds remarkably ill-informed. My first thought is change GP or see someone else in your practice and get a second opinion on this.
I was put on HRT after my oestrogen levels were found to be very low after I’d had a lot of gynae surgery. I was 44 years old then and suffering from terrible headaches/migraines. I obviously had breast cancer at the time - although I wasn’t aware of it - and the HRT made it grow at a rate of knots. Within 6 weeks I had gone from not being able to feel any lumps in a breast check to having a huge and painful cancerous thickening of the breast which was invasive lobular cancer.
I’ve now had a double mastectomy, lymph node removal, chemo and will have radiotherapy.
I don’t want to scare you and I think my case is quite unusual. I have a neighbour who has been on it for 22 years with no ill effects. the problem is we just don’t know if we will be one of the ones who has a problem on it. I would say to any woman to think very carefully about HRT. There are a lot of statistics that talk about how much your risk of breast cancer etc increases with the number of years you take HRT. I had lots of details of this in my actual pack of HRT tablets. I think 5 years was one of the time spans.
As to weight, yes there is evidence that being overweight post menopausal is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. I have had weight problems until recently so I know how hard it is to shift the pounds.
You are clearly very worried about the risks and it would seem that what would help is having a discussion with someone much better informed that your GP. You didn’t say what symptoms you had that made you decide to go on HRT in the first place and how severe they were. I’m not sure of the best place to go to find out more - perhaps you could ring the breast cancer care helpline to find out. Or perhaps you could ask at your GP practice if they have someone who specialises in female health particularly menopause.
Hi ImperialBlether, and welcome to the Breast Cancer Care discussion forums. I would reiterate what Elinda has suggested and give the helpline here a ring and have a chat with one of the breast care nurses about your worries. Calls to the helpline are free, 0808 800 6000 open Mon to Fri 9am - 5pm and Sat 9am -2pm.
I was put on HRT as I was finding it difficult to manage my moods in early menopause. I’m a single mother and my two children were mid-teens - I found I was getting so stressed by minor things and knew I needed some kind of help. Maybe I could come off it now and try to control anything like that in a different way, like swimming every day. One daughter’s at university now and she was the main cause of tension, so maybe I’m safe!
You’re right, I am very uneasy about staying on HRT.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer 12th May 2009, it was found on a routine mammogram. Absolutely no one in my family has ever had cancer and l can go back quite a few generations. I had a hysterectomy at 37 and was fine afterwards but later on the doc decided to put me on HRT. When l told the oncologist l had been on it for 15 years he indicated that was the reason l had breast cancer. I am sure everyone forgot l was still taking it. The oncologist said you should take it for a maximum of 5 years, after that the risk of developing breast cancer goes up. I have a heart condition, asthma and osteoporosis so this hasn’t been an easy ride for me. I have invasive lobular cancer. I have had the cancer removed and my sentinal node, rads, last one tomorrow, and have Tamoxifen for 5 years. I refused chemo due to my other health problems and the Oncologist agreed. I have had a carefully planned radiotherapy treatments - trying to avoid my heart, lungs and bones, although they have said it will make all these conditions worse as it’s impossible to avoid them altogether. I feel sad this has happened to me because it’s turned my whole life upside down, and that of my family, all due to HRT. I have to see my Cardiologist soon so he can check out how the treatment has affected my heart and lungs. I feel absolutely wrecked after the treatment, l sweat continually, mind you it doesn’t help that l live in Spain and it’s very hot at the moment, l sleep all the time and at the moment l spend my days feeling awful. I started a herbal remedy when l found out about all this, (it kills cancer cells) and l will definately continue it. I cannot say it is going to stop this cancer but l had some awful blood results at the start of diagnosis and 3 weeks later all the results were normal, l couldn’t believe it, this was before l had had any treatment. Perhaps l am clutching at straws but at least l feel l am doing something for myself, l get fed up with everyone telling me what THEY are going to do with my body. God bless all of you going through this. xxx Barbara
I was on HRT for 7 yers from age 50.
My GP did inform me of the possible risks due to the type of HRT I was on, however no family history of breast cancer to my knowladge (although 2 grandparents died of different types of c ages 86 + 96 respectively). I took a rational informed decision to stay on my HRT for as long as possible having weighed up the pros and cons and OK I probably had a 1% chance of getting BC from it. Think there were probably other factors involved that I dont know enough about, all I do know is I had 7 years of good quality of life.
Yeh I’m one of the unlucky ones and got bc, but was it due solely to HRT? I dont know, and to have it or not is a very personal decission. For me its one I can not regret as my menopausal symptoms were and are bad, but you should be given the information you need to make an informed decision because if the worry is worse than the symptoms then its not for you.
All the best
g
I had HRT for a few years (certainly less than 5 years) in my forties, due to an early(ish) menopause. Came off it well before I was fifty as I started to read about the studies that said HRT could cause problems. My GP said I would not have any more problems than if I had just had the menopause at 50 rather than at 45. Was then diagnosed with invasive lobular cancer at my first mammogram when I was 50. Hard to say whether the HRT had anything to do with it or not. I was also quite overweight at the time - I know this is definitely a risk factor.
My history is quite similar to Glenna’s.
I’ve always been healthy and had most of the "anti- breast cancer markers- ie late onset of periods, 4 children before I was 30, breast fed them all, good diet, didn’t drink or smoke, not overweight and NO family history whatever.
I did take HRT for 10 years because I had bad hot flushes (and would still be taking it now if it was up to me! )
I tried to come off it several times but the flushes were a misery and I went back on.
12months ago , I was picked up with Grade 3, Stage3 BC on a routine mammo. My onc has refused to get into the “what caused it” debate as it’s totally unhelpful. The stats show only a marginal increase in BC among HRT users - and I’m sure we all know many women who take it and are fine
I would take HRT again; the quality of life it gave me was well worth any possible risk - and I do not think it 'caused ’ my BC .
I am convinced that my BC was caused by taking HRT for 15 years. I have lived in France for 5 years and was diagnosed last March and when I saw the Onc in Montpellier hospital and told him that I had been on it for this long, his face told it all. He said the maximum for women to be on HRT in France is 5 years! Yet, my sister had a hysterectomy very young (26) and has been on HRT ever since and she’s now 64 and has regular mammograms and no signs of BC! I think it’s in your genes or not and there is no other reason why I should get BC. I did have to go ‘cold turkey’ as I tore off my HRT patch in such anger when I was diagnosed that the hot flushes, combined with the chemo, have been terrible but I feel that once all the oestrogen is out of my body then these should ease up and the doctor has prescribed me some non-oestrogen tablets to help me, and they seem to help at the moment. I would never go back on HRT but this is my own personal view and I know the medical profession would never say that HRT is the cause of BC because it’s not proven YET !
Anyway, onward and upward, 6th chemo tomorrow, what fun!!
In recent years there has been quite a lot of research on HRT and breast cancer. The findings from well coinducted trails show that taking HRT for more than 5 years incresaes the risk of breast cancer. This does not mean the HRT ‘caused’ the breast cancer; it just means that the risk factor is increased.
Sorry if this sounds pompous but I do wish people could differentiate between unsubstantiated claims about risk factors and breast cancer (dairy and underwired bras for example…no link.) and those which have some validity. Women over 50 have an increased risk of breast cancer anyway, and personally I would have avoided taking HRT for an extended period. (I had a trouvble free menopause so didn’t take HRT…and in any case my cancer was hormone negative.)
I have also been on HRT and used to wonder if it had contributed to my getting breast cancer. I was 45 at dx and had been taking it for 18 mths. In some ways I think it saved my life!! It was when I was going to the GP for regular checks for patients on HRT that my lump was found.
I don’t know if this is right or not but my bc have all been ER/PR negative so not hormone related - does that mean then that the HRT was not the reason. I don’t know and don’t tend to let things like - why did I get bc - bother me. I have it - get on with!
Dawn
xx
i forgot to say when I was dx with breast cancer I had to stop the HRT immediately.
I, too, feel that the doctor has forgotten I’m on HRT. I’m at the end of a month’s supply now so will make an appointment to discuss it with one of the female doctors, who might have a little more interest in it.
I know I need to get a grip on my weight, too - it’s bad enough that I let it continue to affect my self-esteem, but it’s obvious that in some way, at some point, it will affect my health, too.
I started taking HRT in 1998, aged 44, as my doctor thought my hormones were low due to stress. Mind you, I also started taking thyroxine and we were never quite sure of the causes of my brain fog, etc.
A few years ago, when I mentioned my concern that I had been on it for a long time, the lady doctor I was then seeing told me that they only counted the years of taking it after age 50 (or was it 52?), so that meant I had not been on it for long, in real terms. Now I have bc and have had to stop ‘cold turkey’. I mentioned the conversation to the BCN and she had never heard such a thing. The surgeon obviously thought it was the reason. It is hormone receptive and I am inclined to think it probably was.
My Mum was diagnosed at age 76 and hers was also hormone receptive, having never taken a hormone in her life. They told me that due to her age at diagnosis, I was at no greater risk than anyone else.
Never heard of that one and don’t think that is evidenced by any research. I think many of the studies only look at people over 50 which doesn’t of course mean there isn’t risk to younger women. It makes no logical sense anyway as the pill has been shown to increase risk of breast cancer. If your cancer was hormone sensitive then taking any hormones would increase risk surely?
I was prescribed HRT at age 44 and within 6 weeks I’d gone from not being able to feel anything in my breast to having a large tumour. the HRT didn’t cause it but it massively accelerated it’s growth. I was given HRT as I was having terrible headaches and a gynae op had meant my ovaries were probably failing.
Out of interest what type of cancer do you have? Mine was lobular - I’ve recently had double mastectomy and I’m having chemo at present.
I have mixed invasive ductal and lobular, grade 2, but they found two other lesions on the MRI scan and they have to be biopsies. Well, I say have to be - they offered me a mastectomy but I wanted them checked out first. That’s on Friday.
Yes I did choose a double mastectomy. Main reason was because the cancer seemed to come from nowhere - no lump, thickening etc until suddenly it appeared after the 6 weeks of HRT and I also had in lymph nodes in armpit. Also lobular cancer doesn’t always show on a mammogram and they would only offer MRI every 2 years. I was told that a mastectomy is the usual op if the cancer is multi-focal and it makes sense.
I did have a long discussion with the surgeon and oncologist first before going for a double mastectomy. It has also been easier for me to cope as I had very large breasts and would have been horribly lop-sided.
I think it has to be a decision based on individual circumstances. It was the right thing for me.
I have been shying away from the idea of a mastectomy. Maybe I am wrong. It is a big decision and one that has to be made fairly quickly. Normally, for something like this we would be given longer for it to sink in and to make a decision.
How did you know about the lymph nodes? I thought they only discovered that during surgery. Had they discovered that before your surgery?
The surgeon could feel a lump under my arm so thought there was lymph node involvement. I had an MRI with contrast of the breast to get a better idea of size of tumour as lobular doesn’t show up so well on mammogram and that showed up some lymph node involvement as did CT scan of chest area. They didn’t know how many lymph nodes were involved until after surgery and they’d been sent to lab for analysis.
Mastectomy was the only option for me because of the size of the tumour and also cancer was multi-focal ie in more than one place in the breast.
Have they actually given you the choice between a lumpectomy and mastectomy?
It is a very big decision if they are offering you a choice and I would want to know the fors and againsts of each type of surgery. I would also want to know what they recommended and their rationale for that. Having a mastectomy is a difficult to go through psychologically but it has to be weighed up against the life threatening nature of cancer. As I say, in my case there was no option.
Might be worth having a talk through with a nurse on the helpline too.
I haven’t actually got to that stage. After the initial diagnosis, I had an MRI scan, which showed two small lesions. They were not certain what they were and offered me a mastectomy, or further biopsies. I chose the latter, which I am having done on Friday. I was told that if one of the two is cancerous, I will need a mastectomy beause there would not be much breast left - but I need to make sure they are doing it for the right reasons, and not because it is what they normally do. If that is the only reason and I am prepared to have a misshapen breast, isn’t that up to me?
that makes more sense now. I think there are two things that spring to mind on this. If one of the two lesions does turn out to be cancerous (hopefully not) how much tissue would need to be removed - they will need to get good clear margins so how misshapen would you be and would there be a viable breast there. If both turn out to be cancerous then I’m guessing you’d definitely need the mastectomy. Secondly is the whole issue of reducing risk and whether they think that the mastectomy would be the safer option in your case.
I would ring the helpline and talk to the nurse about this because they may have an idea whether they could do anything with plastic surgery if a largish area was taken and also what it would mean in practical terms having a misshapen breast etc. The more information the better.
I’m totally with you on wanting to know the reasons and not just having something done without explanation.
Good luck for Friday and please let me know how you get on
Elinda x