Interview
with Neil Love, MD from Breast Cancer Update for Medical Oncologists,
Program 4 2000
Play
Audio Below:
Dr.
Loprinzi: We’ve not studied estrogen in our model, but
using other people who have looked at it, the efficacy is quite
similar to what we’ve seen with megestrol acetate, with 70,
80, 90% efficacy. And I don’t think that our model is any better
than others. It happens to be it is a good model for us, it works
nicely.
Dr.
Love: That is an interesting perspective, though. Actually you
are saying, psychologically it sounds less threatening to give a
progestin than to give an estrogen.
Dr.
Loprinzi: It does, from patient’s standpoint or physician.
Now, I do tell all of my patients before giving them, my standard
situation is that I have this medication, it’s not estrogen,
but it is a progesterone, the other hormone, that it doesn’t
have quite the fear that’s associated with estrogen, but some
people say I don’t know what it really does for breast cancer
and theoretically, it might make breast cancer a little bit worse
in terms of what it might do. Theoretically, it might make it a
bit better. And then the other option is that it really doesn’t
do any. My gut reaction, having utilized this in lots of women for
a lot a period of time, for women who would agree to do this –
and as we’ve talked about before, a lot of women are willing
to take something for control of these hot flashes – and sometimes
it’s only for a relatively short period of time. But, my gut
is that whatever it does, is not very big at all. And I think that
the phase II sort of trial we are seeing with use of estrogen or
hormone replacement therapy in breast cancer survivors, is showing
the same sort of thing. It’s not like adding gas and fire together
and getting a cancer process just burning out of control.
Biopsy
confirmed benign breast disease, postmenopausal use of exogenous
female hormones, and breast carcinoma risk. Byrne,
C.; Connolly, J. L.; Colditz, G. A., and Schnitt, S. J.. Cancer.
89(10):2046-2052, 2000 Nov 15.
Postmenopausal
estrogens - Opposed, unopposed, or none of the above Willett, W. C.; Colditz, G., and Stampfer, M. (Reprint available
from: Willett WC Harvard Univ, Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Nutr 667 Huntington
Ave Boston, MA 02115 USA).. Jama: Journal of the American Medical
Association. 283(4):534-535, 2000 Jan 26. No abstract
Re:
Effect of hormone replacement therapy on breast cancer risk: Estrogen
versus estrogen plus progestin Archer, D. F.; Bush, T., and Nachtigall, L. E. (Reprint available
from: Nachtigall LE NYU, Sch Med, Dept Obstet & Gynecol 251
E 33rd St New York, NY 10016 USA).. Journal of the National Cancer
Institute. 92(23):1950-1951, 2000 Dec 6. No abstract
Estrogen
deficiency: In search of symptom control and sexuality. Loprinzi,
C. L. and Barton, D. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 92(13):1028-1029,
2000 Jul 5. No abstract
