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Monday, October 29, 2012 Karen asks

Q: I am currently on Femara. Is it ok for me to take HCG for weight loss assistance?

My endocrinologist did not know the answer to this and my oncologist would say no regardless of interaction issues - just due to the way he is! NO ONE seems to be able to answer if there is truly a rise in cancer recurrence percentage if I take HCG and/or if it would interact negatively with Femara.

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Answers (2)
Phyllis Johnson, Health Guide
10/30/12 5:44am

We are not doctors here, but since hCG is a hormone, I would guess that it would not be a good idea for a breast cancer survivor to use this method for weight loss.  Your oncologist may be super-conservative about having his patients take other medicines/supplements while on Femara, but you would still need to inform him about any thing you take.  He can't make informed decisions about your health if he doesn't have all the information.  

I doubt that anyone has done a study to see if hCG increases cancer recurrence.  That would involve giving it to a group of cancer survivors and then monitoring them for recurrence compared to a control group. That kind of study would be expensive and potentially risky.  Someone might have done a study looking at people who had recurrences and asking them about hormones/supplements/vitamins they had taken.  

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PJ Hamel, Health Guide
10/30/12 6:09am

Karen, I agree with Phyllis - best to speak with your doctor about this. Since some cancerous tumors produce hCG, researchers feel there's a link between that particular hormone and cancer - they just don't know what it is. So you're possibly taking a chance with potentially increasing your risk of recurrence... as we both said, this needs your doctor's input. Take care - PJH

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By Karen— Last Modified: 10/30/12, First Published: 10/29/12