Borstkanker en natuurlijke progesteron (Engels)

Could Bio-Identical Progesterone Have Prevented Elizabeth Edwards’ “Incurable Cancer” ?

Last week’s media reports that Elizabeth Edwards’ cancer had recurred stirred up a lot of discussion about what it means to have an “incurable cancer”. In layman’s terms, a cancer is incurable if it can’t be cured, or completely eradicated, but can be held in check sometimes for years. The key question for Ms. Edwards, and others like her whose cancer has metastasized or spread to other tissues or organs within their body, is whether or not the cancer is hormone dependant. A hormone dependent cancerous tumor is a tumor that needs hormones, specifically estrogen, in order to grow and progress. The medical term for these types of tumors is estrogen receptor-positive. A critical question is “Where does the tumor get the estrogen that feeds its growth?” The answer can be different for different women. Let me explain. Estrogen and progesterone hormones are produced by the female ovaries. Estrogen fuels cell growth which, if unchecked, can be a precursor of cancer. When the internal levels of estrogen and progesterone are balanced, however, progesterone neutralizes estrogen’s ability to stimulate cell growth. In other words, progesterone evidences a natural antiestrogenic action. When internal progesterone levels are sufficient to balance estrogen levels there will not be enough “extra” estrogen circulating within the body to stimulate estrogen receptor-positive tumor growth. Three common factors can cause the ratio of progesterone to estrogen to become unbalanced and thereby foster a condition of estrogen dominance. These are age, body fat and the use of synthetic estrogen replacement therapies. When the body is estrogen dominant, estrogen dependant tumors get “fed” and they grow. §  Age creates a naturally occurring condition of estrogen dominance. In all women, progesterone production begins to decline in the early to mid- thirties. Progesterone levels actually decline 120x more rapidly than estrogen levels. §  Fatty tissue within the body also produces estrogen. This means, that regardless of her age, if a woman is overweight she is more likely to be estrogen dominant. §  Synthetic estrogen replacement therapies, such as Premarin or Prempro, raise the levels of circulating estrogen within the body. Once again the body becomes estrogen dominant. Today, in the United States, Tamoxifen is the drug of choice to treat estrogen dependant tumors. Tamoxifen acts as an antiestrogen thereby blocking estrogen’s ability to stimulate cell growth. Here is my question: What if Elizabeth Edwards, and other women like her with estrogen receptor-positive breast tumors, had used bio-identical progesterone to replace their progesterone deficiencies and neutralize their condition of estrogen dominance? Would they have been able to prevent the development of their initial breast cancer tumors? Just as potent a question: Could the antiestrogen action of bio- identical progesterone help prevent the recurrence and metastasis of their estrogen receptor-positive tumors? I do not have a conclusive answer to the above questions but I do know this. In over a decade of treating women suffering from hormone imbalances, I have never had a woman on my bio-identical progesterone therapy regimen who has developed breast cancer.I also know that multiple European medical studies examining the antiestrogen action of progesterone in breast tissue validate my clinical experience. Is more research needed? Absolutely! Women in the United States like Elizabeth Edwards – and like you – need truth and answers regarding their risks of developing breast cancer and what they could be doing right now to prevent it. Be well. Dr. Randolph