How to Prevent Breast Cancer Recurrence

There are dozens of breast cancer societies and foundations dedicated to developing new treatments for breast cancer, as well as raising awareness for early screening.

But there is very little mainstream attention paid to actual prevention of breast cancer beyond mammograms and self-exams.

And while breast cancer survival rates have dramatically increased - for example, there are an estimated 3.8 million breast cancer survivors in the US alone - the overall incidence of breast cancer is still on the rise.

I’m going to explain a few of the reasons why breast cancer rates are going up, and share how a better understanding of your hormones can help you more accurately identify your risk.

I’ll also share evidence-based, Functional Medicine strategies to help shift those hormonal risk factors in your favor so that you can prevent the development or recurrence of breast cancer.

But before we dive in, you should know that there are genetic risk factors for the development of breast cancer - including BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic variants - that correlate with a higher chance that a woman will develop breast cancer.

But these genes do not tell the whole story - in fact, a large majority of women who get breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease, around 70-80%.

That’s why it’s so important to be actively working to modify the risk factors that you can - whether that be lifestyle, nutrition, or environmental exposure.

One of my Functional Medicine colleagues puts it this way:

Your genetics load the gun, but your environment pulls the trigger.

I’m saying this because you may have been told that there is nothing concrete that you can do to prevent breast cancer -when that’s just not accurate.

Don’t worry, I'll discuss these strategies in a few minutes.

First, let’s talk about why breast cancer rates continue to rise, far higher than in previous generations.

You may already know that breast tissue is very responsive to hormones, especially estrogen. Symptoms like tenderness or swelling during different times in your cycle are examples of how your breasts react to the ups and downs of your hormones.  

And these kinds of symptoms can be a clue that your hormones need a checkup.

Research has linked an increase in estrogenic exposure to increased risk of breast cancer.

That’s why the increase in chemicals in our water, food, and home environment that mimic the action of estrogen in your body is partly responsible for the increase in breast cancer incidence.

These chemical toxins are also called endocrine disruptors or xenoestrogens, and they come in many forms with many long and hard to pronounce names, but you may recognize a few like Bisphenol-A or BPA, Polychlorinated biphenyls or PCB’s, and parabens.

It’s important to know where these chemicals are found, places like cosmetics and shampoos, food preservatives, plastic containers and bottles, and even the lining of canned foods.

Increased exposure to endocrine disruptors like these are one reason breast cancer rates are rising.

Increased rates of obesity, or elevated body fat percentage can also increase breast cancer rates, because fat cells produce estrogens throughout the female lifespan, including into perimenopause and menopause.

Carrying too much body fat is also inflammatory, and chronic inflammation is another root cause for the development of cancer - as well as the poor detoxification of hormones including estrogen.

Another lifestyle factor that can interfere with healthy hormone clearing or detoxification is alcohol.

It’s well-established that alcohol consumption increases breast cancer risk - even modest amounts. Recent evidence shows that even 3 drinks per week significantly increases your risk for breast cancer.

In my opinion, one of the most important reasons for the continued rise in breast cancer rates is the normalization of non-cancerous breast disease and symptoms.

Most doctors aren’t paying attention to indicators that breast tissue is inflamed or changing - symptoms like dense or fibrocystic breasts, breast swelling, tenderness, or pain, and other benign breast disease.

One study found that “Women with dense tissue in at least 75% of the breast have been shown to have a 4 to 6-fold increase in the risk of subsequent breast cancer” compared to those without dense breast tissue.

And yet, the best conventional medicine has to offer in this case is “watch and wait.” We can do better than this!

How? By paying attention to these symptoms and assessing the hormone balance and detoxification pathways that are influencing breast tissue - specifically, estrogens and their metabolites or detox products.

Let me put it this way - if estrogen drives the growth and cell division of breast tissue, and increased cell division (also known as proliferation) is what leads to cancer, then it makes sense to prevent cancer by optimizing estrogen balance and function, right?

Because estrogen isn’t the bad guy - but it can be a problem for breast health if it’s being turned into compounds that encourage proliferation.

One of those estrogen metabolites is called 16-OH estrogen, and it’s produced as part of estrogen detoxification. It is very proliferative, and when the body makes a lot of it, it can significantly increase your risk of developing breast cancer.

How can you tell if you’re making more than your share of 16-OH estrogens? You can test it using the DUTCH test - an at-home dried urine test that measures many hormones, including estrogens and their other metabolites.

The results make it really easy to check for increased risk with a little pie chart that shows how much 16-OH you’re making compared to the more protective 2-OH estrogens.

Once you know if you’re making too much 16-OH estrogen, you can take steps to shift your estrogen detox to a more breast-healthy pathway. Or, if your overall estrogen exposure is too high, relative to your other hormones, you can work to support healthier hormone balance.

If you’re at all concerned about developing breast cancer - either for the first time or again, I highly recommend starting with the DUTCH test. You can get your hands on a test HERE - but make sure you keep reading to learn about Functional Medicine prevention strategies.

So, let’s get down to the details - how to go beyond screening tests and actually prevent breast cancer development or recurrence.

The number one strategy that everyone with breast tissue can do is to minimize your exposure to estrogen disrupting chemicals.

By the way, both males and females have breast tissue that can become unhealthy, so this applies to all of us. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the estrogenic chemicals and toxins in your environment, so I suggest starting simple.

Stop microwaving food in plastic containers - even if it says BPA-free. Swap your single-use water bottles for a stainless steel or glass water bottle.

Choose organic fruits and veggies when possible to avoid estrogen disrupting pesticides. Check your beauty products for pthalates and parabens, and consider switching to a non-toxic makeup brand - there are lots of good ones these days.

You can’t avoid all toxins, but you can significantly minimize your exposure - and every little bit helps!

Supporting healthy estrogen detoxification is the next step, especially if you see on your DUTCH test that you’re making too much 16-OH compared to the protective 2-OH.

Eating more cruciferous veggies like broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cabbage can help shift this pathway and support healthier estrogen balance.

So can rosemary, flaxseed and grapefruit. Nutraceuticals like Indole-3 Carbinol or I3C, N-Acetyl-Cystine or NAC, Milk Thistle, and fish oil can encourage healthier estrogen detox pathways.

I’ve included my favorite estrogen-detoxing supplements for breast cancer prevention in my free Functional Breast Health Checklist - you can download it HERE. 

It can also be helpful to make sure your estrogen is balanced by maintaining adequate levels of bio-identical progesterone.

Progesterone helps estrogen make good decisions when it comes to detoxification, and recent research suggests that bio-identical progesterone (as opposed to progestins from birth control or hormone replacement medication) may even be protective against breast cancer in itself.

If you’ve been told that there’s nothing you can do to prevent breast cancer besides get your mammograms and cross your fingers, I hope you now know that that's not the case.  

There is so much you can do!

Don't forget to check grab your checklist HERE!