CU’s Dr. Nanette Santoro weighs in
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) endorsed the use of vaginal estrogen in breast cancer survivors, but CU’s Dr. Nanette Santoro urged caution in a panel on Medpage Today.
ACOG’s endorsement raised concern because vaginal estrogen contains a black box warning deterring cancer survivors from using it.
Although not authorized by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for use with breast cancer survivors, Dr. Santoro offered her perspective:
It’s not appropriate for a physician to turn his or her back on a patient’s suffering and tell her there’s nothing that can be done. Virtually every medication interaction involves a risk to benefit calculation. That’s what doctors are trained to provide.