Anastrozole for DCIS and colon cancer?
Hello, I am newly diagnosed with DCIS. Stage 0, Grade 2 and hormone positive. I am about to start my radiation journey soon and with the advise of my breast surgeon, see a medical oncologist after radiation to talk about hormone blockers. I am not a candidate for tamoxifen so it would most likely be Anastrozole (or something similar). But I am reading studies show that although it helps with reduction of reoccurrence or any new DCIS showing up, it mentions colon cancer issues. My Dad passed from colon cancer. I am post menopausal and still have my uterus/cervix. Does anyone have any insight on this? I'm losing my mind trying to make the right decisions. Thank you!
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5889043/
This is from 2019 but concludes that there is no link. Can you cite the research/articles that indicated a connection?
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Hi @vincenza444 , Estrogen is protective against colon cancer for those who personally have cancer related conditions of the colon. These articles are very technical but you could give the references to your MO who would be able to interpret them.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cam4.5242
They say nothing about estrogen preventing colon cancer in relatives of people who have had it.
I have a precancerous condition of the esophagus for which estrogen is protective so I declined AIs. I too cannot take tamoxifen because of a pulmonary condition. I am definitely taking a risk; I now have an indeterminate lesion in my hip socket that looks like a met but can't be biopsied without causing severe damage. It is currently being monitored for growth. I based my decision on the relative survival times of esophageal and metastatic breast cancer, both of which I am at risk for. If the lesion turns out to be an ER+ met I will start an AI since that trumps the chance of esophageal cancer. I am still confident that I made the right decision for my circumstances.
You need to get the facts about your personal cancer risk and the role of AIs in it, if any, before you can make an informed decision that you will be happy with no matter what the future holds. All the best!
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