Thread: Milk the issue
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Old 07-15-2010, 10:03 PM   #12
Rich66
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Re: Milk the issue

I guess it depends on menopausal status...not sure how that relates to male BC.

http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/men...e_strength.jsp

The aging process has a greater effect on bone loss than the presence or absence of estrogen. Smoking, prolonged bed rest or inactivity, being underweight, and certain medications can increase bone loss. Weight-bearing exercise increases bone mass. Tamoxifen tends to stabilize bone strength, but for the first year of taking it, pre-menopausal women may experience bone loss; post-menopausal women may have some bone fortification.


J Clin Oncol. 1996 Jan;14(1):78-84.
Effect of tamoxifen on bone mineral density measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in healthy premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Powles TJ, Hickish T, Kanis JA, Tidy A, Ashley S.
Royal Marsden Hospital, Surrey, United Kingdom.
Abstract

PURPOSE: Tamoxifen is an effective treatment for metastatic and primary breast cancer and is now being evaluated as a chemoprevention agent in healthy women. Any long-term effects on estrogen-sensitive tissues such as bone may have important therapeutic implications. METHODS: We measured bone mineral density (BMD) in the lumbar spine and hip using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in premenopausal and postmenopausal healthy women who participated in our placebo-controlled tamoxifen chemoprevention of breast cancer trial. RESULTS: BMD data are now available from 179 women for this analysis. In premenopausal women, BMD decreased progressively in the lumbar spine (P < .001) and in the hip (P < .05) for women on tamoxifen, but not those on placebo. The mean annual loss in lumbar BMD per year over the 3-year study period in tamoxifen-treated compliant women who remained premenopausal throughout the study period was 1.44% (1.88% calculated on an intent-to-treat basis) compared with a small gain of 0.24% per annum for women on placebo (P < .001). Tamoxifen had the opposite effect in postmenopausal women. The mean annual increase in BMD for women on tamoxifen was 1.17% in the spine (P < .005) and 1.71% in the hip (P < .001) compared with a noninsignificant loss for women on placebo. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that tamoxifen treatment is associated with a significant loss of BMD in premenopausal women, whereas it prevents bone loss in postmenopausal women. These adverse and beneficial effects of tamoxifen should be considered in the assessment of the therapeutic benefits for both the adjuvant treatment and the chemoprevention of breast cancer.

PMID: 8558225 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]



Med Sci Monit. 2008 Sep;14(9):RA144-8.
The multiple applications of tamoxifen: an example pointing to SERM modulation being the aspirin of the 21st century.

Singh MN, Martin-Hirsch PL, Martin FL.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Fulwood, Preston, UK.
Abstract

Tamoxifen is a selective oestrogen receptor modulator (SERM) with an established role in the treatment and chemoprevention of hormone-related breast cancer. It is also cardioprotective and increases bone mineral density. However, due to pleiotrophic ligand-receptor properties, its role in a variety of seemingly unrelated disorders, including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus and urological cancers, has been investigated in many studies. The non-patented drug tamoxifen confers a significant advantage over newer drugs in being inexpensive and well-tolerated with a known side-effect profile. This review highlights the interaction of tamoxifen on oestrogen receptors (ERs) and assesses whether this agent continues to have future applications in a variety of clinical settings, both as a therapy in early and established disease and usage as a prophylactic in those at risk of debilitating conditions. Indeed, it may have as-yet-unknown benefit(s) in a variety of conditions, both as a prophylactic in those at high-risk and also as in novel therapeutic strategies in established disease. Future clinical studies may seek to establish the exact future role and efficacy for SERMs both in men and women. Perhaps a multi-functional SERM such as tamoxifen may be the aspirin of the 21(st) century.

PMID: 18758431 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]






I'm aware testosterone suppression in prostate cancer induces bone loss..but testosterone supplementation might not a good idea in male breast cancer:


Endocr Pract. 2008 Mar;14(2):201-3.
Invasive breast cancer after initiation of testosterone replacement therapy in a man--a warning to endocrinologists.

Thomas SR, Evans PJ, Holland PA, Biswas M.
Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, Gwent, United Kingdom.
Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To alert fellow endocrinologists of a rare side effect of testosterone therapy, for which men with hypogonadism must receive appropriate counseling and monitoring. METHODS: We present clinical features, laboratory data, and histopathologic findings in a man with hypogonadism who received testosterone replacement therapy. RESULTS: A 61-year-old man was referred to an endocrinologist after presenting to his general practitioner with erectile dysfunction and low libido. He had no history of hypothalamic, pituitary, or testicular disorders. There were no other illnesses or medications to account for low testosterone levels. Physical examination was unremarkable. There was no family history of malignant disease. Biochemical investigations confirmed the presence of primary hypogonadism, for which no cause (including Klinefelter syndrome) was identified. Testosterone therapy was initiated to improve sexual function and preserve bone density. Five weeks later, the patient returned to his general practitioner, complaining of a gradually enlarging lump in his right breast. When biopsy showed breast cancer, testosterone therapy was discontinued. Right mastectomy and axillary node clearance were performed. Further histologic examination revealed estrogen receptor-positive, invasive carcinoma, without nodal involvement. The patient remains on tamoxifen therapy and is undergoing follow-up in the breast clinic. After 6 months of treatment, estradiol levels were undetectable, and testosterone levels remained low. CONCLUSION: Although breast cancer has been described in men with hypogonadism receiving long-term testosterone replacement therapy, to our knowledge this is the first report of breast cancer becoming clinically manifest after a short duration (5 weeks) of testosterone treatment. This case should remind clinicians that men receiving testosterone therapy should be warned of the risk of not only prostate cancer but also breast cancer. Patient self-monitoring and breast examinations by the attending physician are recommended.

PMID: 18308658 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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