Tamoxifen and hormone supressing drugs

  • 1 reply
  • 38 subscribers
  • 176 views

Hello,

May partner is recently going through treatment for Estrogen Positive Lobular Breast Cancer.  She has had a lumpectomy for a small (16mm) lump and was successful with clear margins.  

Next up is 5 days Radiotherapy.

The question is with Tamoxifen and Hormone suppressing drugs.  We understand the reduced the risk of re-occurrence.  But by how much does this reduce the risk? 

She was on HRT before the diagnosis which she stopped immediately he periods stopped at this time also so has been about 4 months since her last period. 

There seem to be a lot of side effects and non of them are anything she wants to live with so trying to understand what the actual risk/benefit numbers are. 

The next question is should she decide to try it and see how she copes (we understand she may be totally fine) and later decides to stop what are the lasting implications of taking the drugs short term. 

Hope that all makes sense and you understand our concerns.  We would be very grateful for any guidance in this area.  

  • Hi hross,

    Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to our online community.

    My name is Karen and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.

    It’s completely understandable to have questions about the treatment for your partner, and your concerns and questions certainly do make sense, hross.

    We don’t have access to your partner’s medical records on the support line so she may have either Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or invasive lobular breast cancer.

    When doctors offer or recommend treatment after surgery for breast cancer it’s to try to prevent recurrence. They use national guidelines, which are based on the results of clinical trials. NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) have this guidance on endocrine (hormone) therapy which might help to explain why your doctor may have recommended tamoxifen for your partner.

    This information from Breast Cancer Now charity may be useful to look at. It identifies on page 8 the different factors the medical team consider when recommending the best treatment plan for your partner’s specific situation. They use an online decision-making tool called PREDICT. It estimates the benefits of different treatments. Your partner’s treatment team will be able to explain the estimated % risk of recurrence of hormone therapy for her specific situation.

    We suggest that your partner speaks to her breast care nurse or consultant about potential side effects from Tamoxifen. For many people, side effects reduce within the first few months, however for others side effects can be more difficult to manage. If your partner decides to have hormone therapy and experiences any side effects, she should first discuss these with her treatment team before stopping it. They can advise on managing any side effects and may also consider a different hormone therapy if necessary. It can be trial and error to begin with, but usually they can recommend medication or tips which can help. Herbal remedies are not usually recommended as they can interact with medicines. Breast Cancer Now have produced this booklet which may be helpful for you both to look at.

    You both may find sharing information and experiences helpful. You may wish to take a look at the Macmillan breast cancer forum. Lobular breast cancer UK and Breast Cancer Now also have a range of information and support groups.

    You may wish to chat with one of our nurses on the support line, so we can explain more, and you can ask any further questions you may have. We can talk to you both together, or separately, whichever works best for you.  

    I hope this is helpful. If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to get back in touch.

    Sending best wishes,

    Karen, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

    You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email

    Ref/KHe/GG