HER2 Support Group Forums

my first impression was that hormones other than estrogen can influence cysts and my second was that aromatase is only one of 3 enzymes responsible for turning androgen like substances into estrogen like substances

(the other two seem to be inhibited by tibolone, a drug used to treat menopausal symptoms in Europe, which is not available in the US)

A quick check of PUBMED affirmed my impression--here are a few of the abstracts listed:

1:
Burch JB, Walling M, Rush A, Hennesey M, Craven W, Finlayson C, Anderson BO, Cosma G, Wells RL.
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Melatonin and estrogen in breast cyst fluids.
Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2007 Jul;103(3):331-41. Epub 2006 Oct 24.
PMID: 17061046 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
2:
Stricker T, Navratil F, Forster I, Hurlimann R, Sennhauser FH.
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Nonpuerperal mastitis in adolescents.
J Pediatr. 2006 Feb;148(2):278-81.
PMID: 16492444 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
3:
Enriori PJ, Vazquez SM, Chiauzzi V, Perez C, Fischer CR, Gori JR, Etkin AE, Charreau E, Calandra RS, Luthy IA.
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Breast cyst fluids increase the proliferation of breast cell lines in correlation with their hormone and growth factor concentration.
Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2006 Jan;64(1):20-8.
PMID: 16402924 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
4:
Bellemare V, Faucher F, Breton R, Luu-The V.
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Characterization of 17alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity (17alpha-HSD) and its involvement in the biosynthesis of epitestosterone.
BMC Biochem. 2005 Jul 14;6:12.
PMID: 16018803 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
5:
Rahman N, Davenport M, Buchanan C.
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Galactocele in a male infant with congenital hypopituitarism.
J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Oct;17(10):1451-3.
PMID: 15526725 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
6:
Boccardo F, Lunardi GL, Petti AR, Rubagotti A.
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Enterolactone in breast cyst fluid: correlation with EGF and breast cancer risk.
Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2003 May;79(1):17-23.
PMID: 12779078 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
7:
Costarelli V, Sanders TA.
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Plasma deoxycholic acid concentration is elevated in postmenopausal women with newly diagnosed breast cancer.
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002 Sep;56(9):925-7.
PMID: 12209383 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
8:
Stanosz S, Blicharczyk-Zalewska B, Wilk G, Kubisa M.
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[Relationship between estrogen, progesterone, total testosterone, androstenedione, and epidural growth factor in blood and breast cyst fluid]
Ginekol Pol. 2002 Jun;73(6):523-8. Polish.
PMID: 12185717 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
9:
Maeda Y, Tanaka E, Fujiwara M, Watanabe R, Furusawa H, Matsu T, Nakahara H, Nanba K, Higashi S, Setoguchi T.
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Accumulation of 4- and 5-ene steroid sulfates in human breast cyst fluids.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2002 Jul;81(3):249-53.
PMID: 12163136 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
10:
Maeda Y, Kamimura R, Higashi S, Namba K, Tanaka E, Iwamura T, Setoguchi T.
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A simple, accurate, and sensitive assay method of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate: application for quantitative determination in human breast cyst and duct fluids.
Steroids. 2002 Apr;67(5):333-8.
PMID: 11958788 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
11:
Gizienski TA, Harvey JA, Sobel AH.
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Breast cyst recurrence after postaspiration injection of air.
Breast J. 2002 Jan-Feb;8(1):34-7.
PMID: 11856159 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
12:
Elsadig RE, Reimann K, Yip CH, Lai LC.
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Inhibition of oestrone sulphatase activity in the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line by breast cyst fluid from Malaysian women.
Anticancer Res. 2001 Jul-Aug;21(4A):2693-6.
PMID: 11724341 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
13:
Ruibal A, Nunez MJ, Piqueras V, Rabadan F, Lapena G, Schneider J, Tejerina A.
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[Human gonadotrophic hormone (HCG) in benign breast cyst fluid. Association between type I and type II biological activities]
Rev Esp Med Nucl. 2001 Apr;20(2):156-8. Spanish. No abstract available.
PMID: 11333827 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
14:
Budai B, Szamel I, Sulyok Z, Nemet M, Bak M, Otto S, Reed MJ, Purohit A, Parish DC, Kralovanszky J.
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Characteristics of cystic breast disease with special regard to breast cancer development.
Anticancer Res. 2001 Jan-Feb;21(1B):749-52.
PMID: 11299838 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
15:
Budai B, Szamel I, Sulyok Z, Nemeth M, Bak M, Kralovanszky J, Otto S, Besznyak I, Purohit A, Parish DC, Reed MJ.
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Influence of hormonal status of patients with cystic disease on the composition of cyst fluid and breast cancer risk.
Anticancer Res. 2000 Sep-Oct;20(5C):3879-86.
PMID: 11268470 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
16:
Bicikova M, Szamel I, Hill M, Tallova J, Starka L.
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Allopregnanolone, pregnenolone sulfate, and epitestosterone in breast cyst fluid.
Steroids. 2001 Jan;66(1):55-7.
PMID: 11090659 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
17:
Raju U, Sepkovic DW, Miller WR, Dixon JM, Bradlow HL, Levitz M.
Related Articles, Links
Estrone and estradiol metabolism in vivo in human breast cysts.
Steroids. 2000 Dec;65(12):883-8.
PMID: 11077086 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
18:
Erbas H, Lai LC.
Related Articles, Links
Effect of transforming growth factor beta 2 on oestrogen metabolism in the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line.
J Clin Pathol. 2000 Apr;53(4):322-4.
PMID: 10823131 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
19:
Enriori PJ, Hirsig RJ, Vico CM, Etkin AE, Negri JC, Enriori CL.
Related Articles, Links
Effect of natural "micronized" progesterone on the chorionic gonadotropin concentrations in cyst fluids of women with gross cystic breast disease.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2000 May;73(1-2):67-70.
PMID: 10822026 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
20:
^^^^^^

17 HSD is one of those two other enzymes, the other is a steroid sulfatase
Progesterone may be responsible for your cysts

I am hanging on on very few hours sleep...so sorry I didn't make more sense, or add more to the discussion

Will see when I next have a chance to pursue this further

Hope this helps!