Levothyroxine breast cancer

[Cade83]

My mum has just been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. I was just looking into levothyroxine and risk of long term use and breast cancer in woman was one of them. I’m now worried about the risk of cancer. Although I’ve had a double mastectomy because I’m trans I still have some breast tissue remaining. This isn’t the only cancer risks there’s others. An also if you have heart problems this increases risks. I get ectopics and I wonder whether this aggravated that as well. Is there an alternative to being on levothyroxine? Or a way of curing hypothyroidism/hashimotos. I now wonder whether I shouldn’t of started levothyroxine when I only had subclinical hypothyroidism but I had awful fatigue.

[greygoose]

If you smoke, there's a risk of lung cancer. But, not all smokers get lung cancer. Life is full of risks, but we have to weigh them against the benefits.

Not having read that study, I can't say how high the risks are, but I doubt they're very high. On the other hand, not treating hypothyroidism raises all sorts of risks: heart failure, dementure, kidney failure, to mention but a few. Also, being hypo raises cholesterol levels in the blood, which whilst that isn't the risk doctors believe it to be, does make you risk a doctor putting you on statins, which will reduce your sex hormones, and put you at risk of breast cancer, too.

Alternatives to levo - which is the thyroid hormone T4 - are the thyroid hormone, T3, and NDT, which is T4+T3. Being on T3 only brings its own type of risks. You pays yer money and you takes yer choice.

No, there is no cure for Hashi's. And, even if there were, by the time the average person gets diagnosed, the thyroid will be so badly damaged by it that you'd still have to be on thyroid hormone replacement for life.

But, back to the risk of cancer from long-term use of levo, jimh111 wrote a post about it, not long ago:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[MyrtleMac]

I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer three years ago, treated with a single mastectomy, chemo and herceptin, now in remission. First of all, I hope your mum is being well looked after - treatment and survival rates for breast cancer are really high now. I agree with greygoose, there is rarely a single risk factor that 'causes' cancers, but a mix of personal, genetic, environmental and lifestyle stuff, and we don't know for sure why yet. The other side of the equation is that there are protective factors too, so risk is really complicated to quantify at an individual level. I took thyroxine all the way through treatment and it was never flagged as any concern by my very good oncology team. However, even if it does raise my risk (which would be by a tiny amount, I'm guessing) that has to be weighed against not treating Hashimoto's, which is not a good idea at all.

I will say that your mum having a BC diagnosis does increase your risk (but again, it's just more likely, not a guarantee), so flag this up with your GP - my daughters will be called for routine mammograms from the age of 40 (rather than 50), and were shown how to self examine in the meantime. You could ask to be shown where to pay attention to, following your double Mx. Protective lifestyle measures include keeping a healthy weight, limiting alcohol intake, and taking regular exercise - but these are protective, not preventive.

Wishing your mum the very best, and of course yourself too.

[Cade83 in reply to MyrtleMac]

She literally found out today so they’ve said 3-4 weeks she’s going to have a lumpectomy. Also radiation and possibly chemo depending on pathology results. So they are being relatively speedy about it although it concerns me that the consultant couldn’t feel the lump when they did the biopsy nearly 4 weeks ago but he could today. I’m relatively healthy, haven’t drank or smoked for over 5 years and I exercise and I’m a healthy weight and eat healthy so I do try and look after myself. I may ask my nurse tomorrow about it tomorrow. Interesting about the mammograms for your daughters being 40 instead of 50. I’ll let my sister know about it. Think she was a bit worried too, although the surgeon did say it’s not hereditary and it’s hormonal.

[MyrtleMac in reply to Cade83]

It's the most shocking news, I do feel for you. My sister also had breast cancer - picked up at her first routine mammo age 50, but when I was diagnosed a decade later, it was with a different type of cancer. So not genetic, just very bad luck. I was referred to a medical geneticist who did a big family tree as there were so many cases in my parents generation, but it was all different types. My sis was screened for BRAC as part of the initial trial - negative. I found the treatment and staff delivering it absolutely brilliant, they really know so much more now than even ten years ago and knowledge is growing all the time. I hope your mum, you and your sister get good care and support. It's so shocking at the moment, I know, but it gets easier once things get moving with treatment. Very best wishes.

[helvella Administrator]

Wishing your mother well.

When it comes to heart issues, yes, thyroid hormone is a factor. But both too little and too much are very much to be avoided. As well as the chosen dosing regime. That includes when taken, choice of T4 and T3 containing medicines, etc.