Dr. Elizabeth Comen

Yeah, because that's what people say about us, right?

Throughout history.

Do you know my WW story?

Oh yes, yes.

Well, it's horrible and I believe it.

And the part that's so tragic when you talk about this time of life is that in my population of breast cancer patients, historically, we effectively castrate two-thirds of breast cancer patients.

Let me define what cast

Yes.

So a young woman, many of our breast cancers are affected by the estrogen in their body and the estrogen receptor.

I know that's a little controversial to some of this audience to say, but one of the main ways that we treat breast cancer and its decreasing risk of recurrence is by decreasing the amount of estrogen that can bind to the estrogen receptor.

And there are different ways that we do that.

And in young women, we have shown that there are improved outcomes when you basically shut down their ovaries chemically.

So move them into medical menopause by a shot that shuts down their ovaries.

And on top of that, block their ability to make estrogen.

So you could take a 25-year-old who you're trying to cure of breast cancer and make them effectively menopausal.

And on top of that...

decrease their, any additional production of estrogen that they have.

Everything.

Everything.

The problem with that is that, yes, we've improved the survival of breast cancer, but then you have scores of young women and older women who are absolutely miserable.