I am a thyroid cancer survivor, and a breast cancer survivor. Those who read my blog will know this already. When I started my thyroid cancer blog, eleven years ago, I had no idea that I would be diagnosed with breast cancer 5 years later. After my breast cancer diagnosis, I tried writing a second blog- a breast cancer blog- but decided that it was just too much to juggle. My solution has been to write a sort of " twofer" blog and incorporate information on both thyroid cancer and breast cancer. I do focus primarily on thyroid cancer, as there are already a lot of breast cancer blogs. I also feel like perhaps there is more information out there on breast cancer as compared to thyroid cancer. But in honor of October being National Breast Cancer Awareness month, I am going to provide a little more information on breast cancer .
The American Cancer Society, as well as other publications, have noted a link between developing breast cancer and thyroid cancer. I have just read an intriguing article on this link, which I would like to share. The source is from the AACR ( American Association for Cancer Research) which publishes a magazine called: Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention. This is from an article called: " A linkage between thyroid and breast cancer: A common etiology?" The authors of this study are Bolf, Sprague, and Carr. The article was published in April of 2019. I checked for updates, and the article is still current with no changes noted. These are the key takeaways that I got from this article:
* there is an increased risk in having both breast and thyroid cancer
* there are probably some genetic variants that link these two cancers
* hormonal signaling from the thyroid gland and from estrogen may play a role in these cancers
* lifestyle and environmental factors also may play a role in development of both cancers
* there is a " critical need" for more studies to aid in the diagnosis and clinical management of both diseases
*women with breast cancer are 2-fold more likely to develop future thyroid cancer
* women with thyroid cancer have a 67% greater chance of developing breast cancer than the general population.
* estrogen is implicated in the development of thyroid cancer and may explain why women develop the disease roughly four times the rate that men do.
* the etiology of these cancers and possible causative factors are at an "infancy" stage and are just beginning to be studied. Further studies are needed.
* we need to determine which tumorigenic pathways are common to both breast and thyroid cancer.
* we need studies that use public databases to explore extensive cross comparisons.
Just from my own personal experience, and from reading posts in several other thyroid cancer sites, I have come to the conclusion that yes, there is a connection between developing both thyroid and breast cancer. The conclusion to the article above was that more studies need to be conducted to determine common causes and preventative measures. I did not have this information after I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I am writing this not to scare anyone, but to heartily encourage regular mammograms and thyroid neck checks. I have always had regular mammograms. I am positive that I am still here because I had my mammograms. As far as the thyroid cancer goes, my physician was monitoring my thyroid nodules, and did a biopsy when they began to enlarge. Had I known at the time my thyroid cancer was diagnosed, that I was at increased risk( 67%) of developing breast cancer, I would have insisted on mammograms and ultrasounds every six months instead of yearly. My outcome would probably have been the same, but perhaps I would have had a lower stage breast cancer. Again, this is not information to alarm, but rather to encourage regular mammograms and self check- of breasts and the neck.
Wearing pink is good, but ladies, please check your necks! And do not hesitate to see your physician if you feel a lump in your neck or your breast. Knowledge is empowering and lifesaving. Regular mammograms and self checking of the breasts and neck area are our best tools against cancer. Early detection is key to a positive outcome.
