Is it possible to get Breast CA if you had Thyroid CA?

Question

In the past 10 months I've had Thyroid CA and surgeries and radiation, cuz it matastiszed. Now I'm wondering since Thyroid is a hormone, will other hormone areas get CA? What are the odds?

What about other hormone areas; cervical, ovarian, uterus etc...

Answer 1

Yes, it is possible to have a secondary cancer. If your cancer metastisized that means that it is possible that microscopic cells traveled anywhere in the body and lodged there. Common places for a thyroid cancer cells to metastasize include the central nervous system, lymph nodes, in areas of the lungs or bones, or in the neck. You cannot rule out a metastasis to the breast. These malignant cells in the breast though would show they were thyroid cells, thus they would be considered a metastasis.

It is also possible to get a second primary cancer in the breast that has no relation to the primary cancer of the thyroid.
Some people have two or even three different types of cancer. Just because you've had one cancer does not mean you can't get another one. Sometimes the second malignancy can be linked to the first treatment, especially if the second cancer is sarcoma of the breast.

As far as the hormone theory, it seems that the common spots for reoccurence (based on the experiences of many other patients) are the cns, lymph nodes, lungs, bones, or neck . . and it is not common for it to go to the breast. Thus you cannot discount your reasoning, but it is not common.

Medline Plus: Thyroid Cancer
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/thyroidcancer.html

NCI: Thyroid Cancer
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/thyroid

Answer 2

I had my thyroid removed in 2002 and read nothing about other problems - until I got diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. A few different breast cancer books mention the link - not because it mastitis's there but because of the hormone imbalance was probably not just confined to the thyroid but all the other hormones too - estrogen & progesterone being out of whack causing the breast cancer to grow. Only one book that I have read (Waking the Warrior Goddess - which I highly recommend) mentions that breast cancer cells are the only other cells that use iodine.
I will also note that my sister had her thyroid irradiated and was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 years later.
Good luck.

Answer 3

If your cancer has metatasied then it could reapear in a variety of places.

However, the hormones produced by the thyroid gland are different to those which have an affect on breast cancer etc, so that is not a major factor.


Your Dr should be monitoring you regularly for reappearance of your cancer, if not, see a new Dr!