Have You Heard?: Coffee & Tamoxifen: Best Friends Forever!

Have You Heard?: Coffee & Tamoxifen: Best Friends Forever!

The "Have You Heard?" series from BLAT is meant to summarize developments in the breast cancer world. As always, be sure to consult a physician with any questions or concerns you have about your cancer care.

Have You Heard?: Coffee & Tamoxifen: Best Friends Forever!

Coffee lovers rejoice! A smartly designed study by researchers at Skane University Hospital and Lund University in Sweden and University of Bristol in the UK revealed that 2 cups of caffeinated coffee a day, in combination with Tamoxifen, the often-prescribed estrogen blocking therapy, works to reduce breast cancer recurrence rates by up to half (OHEMGEE!!!!) AND there's evidence that caffeine slows cancer cells growth in ER+ and ER- breast tumors.  Now, there is a threshold. The study found that 2-5 cups of coffee were the key. A 1-cup a day habit was simply not enough (most mornings I'd agree!). The study found that women (more than 1,000 studied) with moderate to high coffee consumption had smaller invasive primary tumors, a lower proportion of ER+ tumors, and (the really big deal) a 49% lower risk for recurrence when combined with the hormone therapy Tamoxifen (adjusted hazard ratio 0.51; 95% confidence interval 0.26-0.97). Researchers believe the mechanism involved here is that the caffeine and caffeic acid found in coffee sensitizes the tumor cells to the Tamoxifen. And while this news is very exciting to coffee-loving breast cancer survivors, it's important to remember that over-consumption of coffee can cause insomnia, irritability, heart palpitations, and upset stomach. Everything in moderation, friends!

Here's the link to the full-text of the study: http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/21/8/1877.full