Most of us who are updated with the health domain may know that estrogen plays an important role in breast cancer. But, is it also related to other kinds of cancer? This study by professionals from the American Association for Cancer Research has revealed that women suffering from breast cancer who consume antiestrogen supplements may be at lower risk for melanoma.
In this analysis, information about nearly 7,360 women diagnosed with breast cancer from 1980 to 2005 was studied. Nearly half of these patients experienced antiestrogen therapies. In the follow-up phase in 2008, around 34 cases of melanoma surfaced out. Moreover, the risk factor associated with melanoma was 60% higher amidst patients not exposed to antiestrogen therapy as compared to those who received the medication.
Christine Bouchardy, M.D., Ph.D., professor at the University of Geneva and head of the Geneva Cancer Registry, cited, “These results need to be replicated in other studies, particularly given the numerous side effects linked to this kind of drug.”
So far, scientists are aware of the substantial role played by estrogen in breast cancer, but scientists are not clued in if estrogen could be responsible for other tumors too. The team asserted their hypothesis that estrogens are involved in the development of melanoma after having found the results of this trial.
One reason for estrogen’s function in melanoma may be its association with growing levels of melanocytes and melanin generation in the skin of humans. Higher proportions of melanocytes have been implicated in early-stage melanoma. However, the analysts warned the general population against excessive use of anti-estrogen supplements.
Importantly, the investigators believed that the results need to be replicated in more trials, specifically with regards to the side-effects of antiestrogen therapies. The study is published in the journal, Cancer Prevention Research.