Does breastfeeding/high prolactin feed cancer growth?

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lpas
Posts: 1010
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:11 pm

Does breastfeeding/high prolactin feed cancer growth?

Postby lpas » Wed Dec 17, 2014 9:56 am

I've been doing some reading recently, and see that elevated prolactin levels are occasionally used as a cancer marker, similar to CEA and may(?) be an indicator of poorer prognosis. I have been breastfeeding for the past 11 months since my son was born. Prolactin is the hormone that causes women to produce breast milk. Have been slowly working on weaning over the past month in preparation for surgery but--even without the cancer--I'm sure my prolactin levels would still be elevated. Now I'm worried that perhaps I should have been more aggressive about weaning and trying to get my prolactin down prior to surgery.

Does anyone here know anything more specific or have you had conversations with your oncologist about prolactin? I've done lots of Internet searches but can't seem to find any information about links between cancer and breastfeeding. Am very concerned that perhaps the breastfeeding has been feeding my tumor growth and that continued high prolactin levels at the time of surgery could increase my risks for metastasis.
11/14 Dx sigmoid CC @ 45yo
12/14 Colectomy + hysterectomy
Stage IIIB, T3N1bM0, 2/20 nodes, MSS, G2, KRAS(A146T), TP53, SMAD4, ERBB2, CEA 1.0
2/15-7/15 XELOX & celecoxib
2/19 clean scope
11/19 clean CT
Ongoing cimetidine & other targeted supplements
Mom to a 6 & 8yo

Badass
Posts: 1171
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2012 11:42 am

Re: Does breastfeeding/high prolactin feed cancer growth?

Postby Badass » Wed Dec 17, 2014 1:23 pm

I think high prolactin levels are associated with breast cancer, not colon. Also, it is a normally present hormone in breast development and breastfeeding so I don't know what abnormally "high" levels are- probably well beyond the usual. In any case, unrelated to colon cancer as far as I can tell.

Jane
P.S. I now see that there is some connection in some studies as a marker in colon cancer but it is just an association, not causal. It is very speculative. Maybe some of the researchers on here or your oncologist would have a better answer.
R.C. 12/23/11 at age 52 T3N0M0
3/1/12 completed Xeloda and radiation
5/4/12 LAR & Ileostomy
6/7/12-10/4/12 6 rounds Xelox
11/27/12 Reversal
7/13/13 1 liver met
8/13 Met resection /hai pump
4/14 Chemo completed (Irinotecan/5fu/fudr in pump)

lpas
Posts: 1010
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:11 pm

Re: Does breastfeeding/high prolactin feed cancer growth?

Postby lpas » Wed Dec 17, 2014 3:42 pm

Thanks so much, Jane. Here's what got me thinking. Supposedly--per the articles below (and I agree that it seems somewhat speculative at this point)--it is common for prolactin to be elevated in those with colorectal tumors, and for colorectal tumors to have an over-expression of prolactin receptors. Here's a quote from one of the links:

"Prolactin receptor expression was observed in 360 out of 373 (97%) primary tumors, with 21 (6%) cases showing focal, 55 (15%) moderate, and 284 (76%) extensive expression, respectively. Extensive prolactin receptor expression was significantly associated with tumor size (P=0.002) and grade (P<0.001) as well as...disease progression (P=0.03) and cancer-specific survival (P=0.04)."

http://www.pubfacts.com/detail/20453834/Clinicopathological-significance-of-prolactin-receptor-expression-in-colorectal-carcinoma-and-corres

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16982465

http://www.pubfacts.com/detail/12458387/Expression-of-functional-prolactin-and-its-receptor-in-human-colorectal-cancer.

I guess this is what had me worried. I'm not a researcher and I don't have a medical background, but the language above makes it sound as though colorectal tumors may actually feed off of prolactin, which can't be good for someone like me who's currently producing a lot of it anyway. Unfortunately I don't have an Oncologist yet, so there really isn't anyone in the medical field that I can ask right now.

Thanks again
11/14 Dx sigmoid CC @ 45yo
12/14 Colectomy + hysterectomy
Stage IIIB, T3N1bM0, 2/20 nodes, MSS, G2, KRAS(A146T), TP53, SMAD4, ERBB2, CEA 1.0
2/15-7/15 XELOX & celecoxib
2/19 clean scope
11/19 clean CT
Ongoing cimetidine & other targeted supplements
Mom to a 6 & 8yo


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