Tamoxifen treatment for endocrine cancer survivors
Hello. I was diagnosed in April, and finally got a surgery date for July 6th. My prognostic report said my cancer was estrogen and progesterone positive and moderately invasive. My surgeon has told me I will be put on Tamoxifen after surgery. I am concerned because I am an Endometrial Cancer Survivor and had a total hysterectomy (only treatment). Is this a good idea?
Comments
-
0
-
Hi @debbie623, and welcome to our community!
We're so very sorry for the reasons that bring you here, but we're really glad you've found us. You've certainly been through a lot and we hope others with similar experiences will be by shortly to weigh in.
You're right to have a concern about endometrial cancer while taking tamoxifen, as it is a rare but serious side effect, and you have a history of this type of disease. You've raised this concern with your oncologist?
When you had your hysterectomy did you also have your ovaries removed? It's possible if you're post-menopausal, either surgically by having your ovaries removed or naturally, you could ask your doctor about taking an aromatase inhibitor rather than tamoxifen. If you are still pre-menopausal, you may still be able to take an aromatase inhibitor along with an ovary-suppression medication.
Both tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors acheive the goal of suppressing progesterone and estrogen, so talking to your doctor about AIs vs. risks of tamoxifen is a good idea.
What type of surgery will you be having on July 6?
We hope this helps!
—The Mods
0 -
Hi @debbie623, The mods gave you lots of good information. I would suggest that you speak to the doctor who treated you for the endometrial cancer as well as your breast surgeon and oncologist. Having subspecialist doctors is great but in my experience they often are not as up to date on things that are outside of their current field. All the best.
0 -
Hi again @debbie623,
We're just checking back in on you since we haven't seen you since your first post - have you had your surgery and how are you recovering? We're thinking of you and here to support you. Please update us with how you're doing when you have a second.
Thinking of you!
—The Mods
0
