Can't comment on the liver enzymes, but I was diagnosed as hypothyroid
after BC treatment.  For me, fatigue and joint stiffness in the morning
were the main symptoms. I've also read that hypothyroidism is more
common for those of us who've had BC.  Several besides me on this group
are hypothyroid.

I'm not clear; has your wife's TSH level been checked (simple blood
test) and you know she's hypothyroid, or are you not sure at this point?

My treatment involved a multi-month titration process where they started
me on a small dose of thyroid hormone, tested the result, and adjusted
until I was back in the normal range.  Now stay on that dose, with blood
tests every 6 months or so to make sure nothing's changed.

If there's anything else you would want to know about the hypothyroidism
question, please ask.

Ann T.
Remove 'dontsendspam' from address to reply by email

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/63/72044.htm
Statins: Breast Cancer Treatment?
Cholesterol Drugs Stop Breast Cancer Growth in Test Tube
By Daniel DeNoon
WebMD Medical News      Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD
on Thursday, April 10, 2003
April 10, 2003 -- A widely used family of cholesterol-lowering drugs is being
looked at as a potential breast cancer treatment. And findings from a new,
preliminary study suggest researchers may be onto something.
The drugs are known as statins. Earlier studies by Khandan Keyomarsi, PhD, at
the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center looked at breast cancer
cells in the lab. When researchers added the statin drug Mevacor, the cancer
cells stopped growing.
Was it a fluke? Ekem Efuet, PhD, one of Keyomarsi's postdoctoral students, took
a closer look. One reason cancer cells grow so fast is that they lack
biochemical brakes that slow cell growth. Efuet found that Mevacor -- and,
likely, other statins -- lets these growth-brakes build up inside cancer cells
-- making them a potentially useful breast cancer treatment down the road. The
current findings are published in the Proceedings for the 2003 Annual Meeting
of the American Association for Cancer Research.
"We have found out how a well-known and widely used class of drugs exhibits
anti-cancer activities. That's an exciting finding," Efuet says in a news
release. Other statin drugs that could potentially have some role in breast
cancer treatment include Lescol, Lipitor, Pravachol, and Zocor.
The idea of making cancer cells accumulate growth brakes isn't new. Several
labs are working hard to develop new drugs to do this. But even if they work,
such drugs would be years away from human tests. The finding that statins can
do the same thing could shorten the process -- and hopefully make them
available sooner for breast cancer treatment if research pans out.
Interestingly, statins have to be processed in the liver before they can fight
cholesterol. But it's the unprocessed drug that fights cancer growth. It may be
that new forms of statins may be needed for breast cancer treatment. But
Keyomarsi's lab is now testing existing statin drugs to see if they fight
cancer in lab animals.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCES: Proceedings for the 2003 Annual Meeting of the American Association
for Cancer Research. News release, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center.

Hi Erik
I am also hypothyroid.  Was diagnosed a number of years after my mastectomy
and chemo, but the numbers were so far out of whack that I could have been
affected for years and didn't realize it.  I was also very fatigued, lots of
muscle weakness, dry skin, and depressed.  They synthroid made a world of
difference.  Hope all goes well with your wife's blood tests and it's
something as simple as hypothyroidism.  The treatment is convenient and
inexpensive.

Best wishes.
Barb

Hi Erik, I am not sure what happened--perhaps I fell asleep again while posting
;-) or only part of my post came through.  I feel a little embarrassed that an
article only on statins appeared in response to your post re. hypothyroidism.
I remember writing something directly related (unless I'm dreaming).
Seriously, I also developed hypothyroidism 16 mos after my dx and about 11
months after I finished radiation.  I suppose the radiation may have been the
prime trigger but there were other events that may have also contributed.  I
wonder if the effects of the Arimidex (lowered estrogen) had anything to do
with it.  As I posted here--there were several things that happened soon after
I began taking it.  The first thing that developed (about 7 weeks later) was
benign paroxysmal positional vertigo--caused by calcium depositis break loose
in the middle ear and result in imbalance.  A month after that I had a series
of 3 separate attacks of pancreatitis of unknown cause.  The pancreatitis may
have contributed to the development of the hypothyroidism.   One week after my
last pancreatitis attack (about 11 weeks after starting the Arimidex) all
standard blood tests taken were within normal limits.  About 5 weeks later I
began to feel very weak and exhausted.   New blood levels were drawn and I was
found to have several tests 'off' which included hypothyroidism.  
In addition to being hypothyroid, my tumor markers began to elevate, my
testosterone level became double normal and then a few weeks later was 6 times
normal (unless that was a lab error since same order for that test also had an
order for a sperm count--and tech thought something had to be 'wrong' and
falsified results--just guessing on that one).  In addition my SGOT (one of the
liver function tests) was above normal, the bilirubin went from .6 to 1.0
(highest normal level), and alkaline phosphatase levels rose to the 90's (from
the 70's) although still 'normal.'  During this time I also had a cholesterol
count and lipid panel done and my cholesterol level and triglycerides were
found to be too high.  Tumor markers also rose--CEA went from 2.2 to 3.6 and
then 4.5; CA 27.29 although still normal rose about 8 pts and a few weeks after
that an additional 3 pts.
I was put on Thyroid medication--Levothroid (syntrhoid) and basic blood levels
returned to normal.  I also had a complete hysterectomy and
Salpingo--oopherectomy.  My cholesterol/lipid levels remained  high.  A year
after that I started a statin drug.  I don't know if that can help thyroid
function but high lipid levels could have contributed to the pancreatitis.   I
then began taking a statin drug--which I subsequently learned may also be
helpful in control of breast cancer--which is why I posted the related article.
I believe I recall reading that high lipids may also be related to
hypothyroidism--and was wondering if your wife had been tested.  There is no
way to know for sure if anyone of the 'events' caused the hypothyroidism alone
or if they all had a cumulative effect.

Add me to the list: about 18 months after treatment for br ca (CMFx8 and
radiation) I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. TSH was 23 or something,
way out of whack. I thought the fatigue was just due to the chemo/rads, so
I dragged around for a long time feeling like a dishrag. Synthroid took a
while to perk me up, but it helped eventually.