her2s are different again--her2positivity is INVERSELY correlated with BMI

[janet/FL]

I had just lost 35 pounds at time of diagnois from Atkins diet. I wonder if I would not have been Her2+++ if I hadn't lost weight? It was over a two year time period.

[AlaskaAngel]

I had just lost 25 pounds over the year prior to dx too, and was exactly at proper weight for height.

My guess about the question of low fat diet is it depends on what type and balance of fats, and whether organic or not...

And another HER2 I know who is 10 years younger than I am was also at proper weight for height when she was dx'd as HER2.

(Watch out lasagne, here I come!)

[Bev]

The article makes me feel better, sort of. I was tired of always hearing a high BMI was correlated with BC when no one I knew had a high BMI.

Karen, I read something similiar about being tall. I think what I saw said the risk was higher if one grew more than an inch after age 13 and was taller than 5'-4" or so.

[Becky]

Well, I was overweight but not grossly so. I am now in my normal weight range but I am also ER+ but PR neg.


I think, especially for those who are hormone negative for both receptors, if one is thin, there is less circulating estrogen (or at least normal levels) and every cancer needs a go button so the Her2 receptor stays on (it is theorized that precancer and DCIS is all Her2+ but that it mutates and changes when it becomes invasive. So, it you think about it that way, if you have a lot of body fat (and hence excessive amounts of circulating estrogen, why wouldn't a cancer want to be hormone positive - lots of go, go, go there).

Secondly, (as Hopeful was eluding), in a thin woman, there is less "space" so toxins can build up to more critical levels than in a larger woman exposed to the exact same things.

Lastly, there was a study on height vs bc risk. Theory in that study said that taller women were more prone because of their intense growth spurt. Growth (ie: cell reproduction) causes cell mistakes on its own accord - therefore the taller you are the more chance that the first of many ensueing mistakes occurred earlier in your life.

We'll get there one day.

[Hopeful]

Becky,

How about the recent stats that say the low fat diet benefits hormone negatives more than positives? You had some interesting comments on that in a recent thread.

Endocrinology is a fascinating discipline, and I agree with remarks made in another thread that it is high time to add an endo to our bc "team" of medical experts. I think this is the area that will produce most of the refinement in selecting treatments to match the specific bc.

Hopeful