Breast Cancer and complementary or integrative therapies

These are the facts that I know. Around the end of June, we felt a lump at 9oclock on her right breast. We went for a mammogram/ ultrasound. They found a 3cm spiculated mass. I began doing research. I started her on 6 grams day of Turkey tail. At the end of July she had an mri, they were confused as it appeared to have shrank. I didn’t say anything. She had a lumpectomy on 8/11/22. Really good margins, onca dx was 12. Radiation therapy for 5 days. I had a estradiol test run and it showed < 10. A year prior to this it was 60. She’s taking letrozole. 2 months after her first dose, she is still at < 10. Turkey tail is an aromatase inhibitor. And we are satisfied with the results. If I had known about this sooner, we may have gone a different route. Irregardless, her breast looks really good and she is doing well other than some breast, axilla pain.
Please do your own research. She is er, pr +. HER2-. 54 years old.

Letrozole reduces estrogen to undetectable levels. The tests available to us are limited to <10. It may be that turkey tail gets it under 10 but letrozole gets it closer to 0. I would ask your doctor about this.

Mayo Clinic actually has a gas chromatograph that can measure down to 0

Interesting. That must be what was used in the studies of the effectiveness of aromatase inhibitors. I always wondered.

Probably so. I would like to find one a little closer, but I’m interested in the actual number, so I may send them a sample

I would also but I live on the east coast. If you look into this could you report back ( so we don’t inundate) as to how we could get this information from afar. Thank You 🌸

This was sent to me from my wife’s oncologist:
Hi guys,

The estradiol test is <10.0 (less than 10) and you are correct that is the bottom limit of the test. The only way to get a more sensitive test would be to send a sample to the Mayo clinic for Mass Spectrometry (https://www.mayocliniclabs.com/test-catalog/overview/81816#Overview) which should be able to detect lower levels of estradiol. However, even if we detect a level on this test, we don't recommend dose adjusting the letrozole.

I think I want to pursue this a little more.

This was sent to me from my wife’s oncologist:
Hi guys,

The estradiol test is <10.0 (less than 10) and you are correct that is the bottom limit of the test. The only way to get a more sensitive test would be to send a sample to the Mayo clinic for Mass Spectrometry (https://www.mayocliniclabs.com/test-catalog/overview/81816#Overview) which should be able to detect lower levels of estradiol. However, even if we detect a level on this test, we don't recommend dose adjusting the letrozole.

I think I want to pursue this a little more.

@healin hand what is your goal here? Are you interested in finding out if the aromatase inhibitors are needed, or what dose is effective? Are you trying to avoid side effects or prove the meds aren't needed?

Read the Femara insert, or the drug insert for any AI. For Femara, the insert basically says that in studies, 20% of the suggested dose reduced estradiol below detectable levels.

But I am not sure whether dose matters anyway. If estrogen is effectively suppressed, at any dose level, the side effects would probably be the same, right?

I’m interested in seeing the complete effect of Turkey Tail.