Hi Ladies, I am a bit confused as to why some women appear to be offered this procedure as a matter of course - does it depend on the type of bc, age , pre menopausal ??? etc. I have downloaded information on it but am still a bit confused whether I would be suitable - also, if the ovaries go do you NOT need to stay on Tamoxifen or is it better to have it as well?? Any advice greatly received as I want to question my ONC at my next appointment in March and not come across as a numpty ! Thanks for any info or experiences you can tell me about x Debbie x
Hi Debbie
This is only offered if your BC is strongly hormone receptive for starters and you are not post menopausal (obviously!). From my experience it is not offered routinely but it depends on your onc’s own views on this. Some suggest Zoladex (for a minimum of 2 years post treatment) as this switches off the receptor in your brain/pituitary gland to stop producing female hormones and induces a temporary menopause. This, along with either Tamoxifen or one of the A I’s is quite usual for the 1st 2 years and reduces the amount of female hormones in the body giving a much reduced risk of recurrence - which is at it’s greatest 2 years post treatment. Female hormones can still be produced from other areas like fat so Tamoxifen is still needed to block the receptors in any BC cells to stop them growing. If your onc suggests ovary removal this gets rid of the main source of female hormone production but, again, they can still be produced/converted/whatever from fat reserves so other medication such as Tamoxifen and A I’s are still prescribed, normally for 5 years post treatment. When I had my primary my onc was adamant that I ‘only’ needed Zoladx for 2 years and then I would be menopausal anyway (I was 41) - how wrong was she! I’m sure that the surge of hormones coming back into my body after Zoldex was finished is why I now have secondary BC as my BC is strongly hormone receptive. The view originally was that I would be too early to have a fully induced menopausal ie ovaries removed as I would be at increased risk from bone loss which in itself gives many problems to post menopausal women. I have since had my ovaries ablated by radiotherapy as surgery wasn’t an option for me due to other heart related issues. I continue on A I’s as I am now ‘really’ postmenopausal.
I hope this helps - you may already know the explanation so I apologise if I was a bit too detailed but do ask any questions.
Nicky
Hi…I am as confused as you are about this! I had a hormone receptive tumour which was removed last September. Ive just finished chemo and am due to start rads and take Tamoxifen on 22nd Feb. I was horrified at all the side affects of the drug and in particular the fact it says it should not be given to anyone who has a close family member who has suffered blood clots/stroke. My dad died of a stroke at 60 so I would class myself as a risk of this. My onc just smiled at me and said that there are side effects of taking paracetamol and because I am young (46) I need to take Tamoxifen. He said they dont like doing surgery to remove ovaries and basically sent me on my way. I feel totally confused and also really worried that I am putting myself at risk when maybe a simple operation to remove my ovaries would be sufficient. Is there no alternative to Tamoxifen for anyone pre menopausal?
Thank you Nicky - you explained it very well. I AM on tamoxifen and tumor was grade 3 and hormone receptive. Although I am 49 now my periods were v regular before chemo but stopped after blast no2 and have not returned. Possibly a reason why it hasn’t been mentioned to me. I also have bone mets and take a daily biophosphate so taking into account your comments about bone loss I am probably not a candidate fot it. Thx for helping me out xDebbiex
Hi Debbie
Just when you thought you’d got it clear in your head, here I am to put you back into confusion as I did have an Oomphrectomy shortly after my bone mets were diagnosed. That was 3 years ago and it’s only in the last 6 months that I have had any trouble from my bone mets, I too take biphosphonates (i’m 48 by the way).
All the best
Linda
Debs ive got clinic today and i will be asking about this! First consultant felt at 32 it was wise to have an ooph but everyone since says no no no as the side effects would be terrible. I will be 37 when tamoxifen ends and wont be menopausal so when then?! Tamoxifen doesnt bother me at all and i am reluctant to have anyting else but god am i reluctant for a reoccurance with a 3 and 1.5yr old to care for!!!
Ahhhh!
XX
Cheers Sue, by the way is it “ooph” or “oomph” - I lost my oomph a while ago pmsl x
Prof barnett said no to ooph (no m!!) and yes to me being sterilised to make sure i dont fall pregnant again as thats when the cancer was found. She said she would only do a Ooph if i had the BRCA gene business. She also said tamoxifen was better than an ooph as it targets oestrogen in the ovaries and adrenal glands and by the time i get to my 5 yrs it will likely to be 10 yrs tamoxifen especially for young women! Great woman, really liked her.
So now i have a repeat CT coming up, a sterilisation, my first mammogram and a vist back to the breast surgeon where it all started off! Phew!
S
XX
oh Sue, the sterilisation bit must be hard for you being so young - I guess you have to get your head around it and be glad you have the girls - and they need you BIG time! I cant see an ooph being right for me either now I know more. I see Onc again in March - no mention of seeing Breast surgeon again but I am going to ask them to check the bone mets again - we are still on that pigging roller coaster eh? Loads of love xDebx