What % ER pos warrants Tamoxifen use

[mts]

Hi All,

I am 10% ER+ and PR- I am also on Tamoxifen. I'm still peri-menopausal too.
Does anyone know what base percentage "negativity" one needs to be in order to need Tamoxifen? The onc said something about the benefit of Tamoxifen -even in very low ER+ patients. But the benefits are so miniscule, that I wonder if its really worth taking the Tamoxifen with such low ER.
I hear now that many women opt to not take Tamoxifen with ER+ much higher than mine. I want to feel normal and the Tamoxifen as well as the Effexor I take to counteract the Tamoxifen side effects are driving me crazy.
I took Herceptin for a year after dose dense AC+T and radiation. Stage I, neg nodes.
What do you all think?

Maria (MTS)

[Becky]

Dear Maria


I have read numerous times that any positivity warrants use of anti-hormonals. Just be aware that tamoxifen resistance is associated with a negative PR. In this case, sometimes it can actually stimulate the cells.

[Bev]

Hi Maria,

I'm 30% ER+ and on Tamox and 70% Pr+. I thought I read 5% ER+ as the cutoff. My onc has talked about switching to an AI eventually. I haven't insisted on switching because of the PR+. I want to do at least a year of the AI, don't know about doing 5 years though.