Women on tamoxifen therapy who reported having hot flashes were less likely to develop recurrent breast cancer than those who did not report hot flashes, according to a study from researchers at the University of California, San Diego.

Also, believe it or not, hot flashes were a stronger predictor of outcome than age, hormone receptor status, or even how advanced the breast cancer was at diagnosis. Go figure!

The study results were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago, June 2007. "Hot flashes are a very common and disruptive problem in breast cancer survivors," said the study's first author, Joanne Mortimer, M.D., medical director of the Moores Cancer Center and professor of medicine with the UCSD School of Medicine.

"About two-thirds of women with breast cancer say hot flashes compromise their quality of life," said Mortimer. "The most common request for additional treatment we get is for relief from these symptoms."
 
Cancer recurrence among women who reported hot flashes was about 13 percent, while recurrence was 21 percent for women who did not report having hot flashes. These data were consistent across all years of follow-up, regardless of age or menopausal status.

"This study provides the first evidence that hot flashes may be an indicator of a better prognosis in women with early-stage breast cancer," said the study's senior author, John P. Pierce, Ph.D., director of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. "Our data support the possibility of a significant association between hot flashes and disease outcome."

So, if you are experiencing "personal summers" and "private power surges," keep in mind that they may actually be predicting how much you will benefit long term from this type of hormonal therapy.