When used to lower breast cancer risk, these drugs are typically taken for 5 years. They are pills taken once a day. Can aromatase inhibitors lower the risk of breast cancer? In large studies, both anastrozole and exemestane have been shown to lower breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women who are at increased risk.
Randomized clinical trials have compared outcomes for women who used aromatase inhibitors for 10 years versus 5 years [ 110 ]. Taking an aromatase inhibitor for 10 years [ 110 ]: However, overall survival is the same whether a woman takes an aromatase inhibitor for 5 years or 10 years [ 110 ].
When an aromatase inhibitor is taken after tamoxifen, the drugs are taken for a combined total of 5-10 years. Talk with your health care provider about how long you should take an aromatase inhibitor.
Three aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are now FDA approved and have been shown to be more effective than the antiestrogen tamoxifen and are well tolerated. AIs are now a standard treatment for postmenopausal patients.
Aromatase inhibitors are prescribed for 5-10 years. The length of this treatment along with side effects can make it tough to complete treatment.
People being treated for primary breast cancer will usually take anastrozole for five to ten years. Some people start taking anastrozole after a number of years of taking another hormone therapy drug called tamoxifen.
Treatment with an aromatase inhibitor for 5 years as up-front monotherapy or after tamoxifen therapy is the treatment of choice for hormone-receptor–positive early breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Extending treatment with an aromatase inhibitor to 10 years may further reduce the risk of breast-cancer recurrence.
The extension of the treatment period of adjuvant treatment with anastrozole to 10 years showed significantly higher rates of disease-free survival (DFS) and distant disease-free survival (DDFS) among certain patients with breast cancer; however, no gain in overall survival (OS) was seen in the randomized, multicenter, ...
In most cases, Arimidex is taken for five years, although some women may take it for a shorter period. Once your treatment team has decided that you can stop taking Arimidex, you can stop it completely; you won't need to taper down the dose gradually.
Key facts. You usually take anastrozole once a day. Try to take it at the same time each day, as this makes it easier to remember. Treatment with anastrozole usually lasts for up to 5 years.
After taking 5 years of hormonal therapy following surgery, postmenopausal women diagnosed with early-stage hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer got the same benefits from taking 2 more years of the aromatase inhibitor Arimidex (chemical name: anastrozole) as they did from taking 5 more years of Arimidex, according ...
“We found the rate of cancer recurrence averaged 21% lower for the women who received aromatase inhibitors,” Regan states.
A 2020 research article published in JCI Insight suggests that aromatase inhibitors can reduce breast cancer recurrence and help improve your outlook. However, the cancer returned in as many as 30 percent of people observed in the study.
High cholesterol. Lymphedema. Osteoporosis. Sleeplessness (it can take months to resolve bad sleep habits)
Avoid raw fruits, vegetables, whole-grain breads, cereals, and seeds. Soluble fiber is found in some foods and absorbs fluid, which can help relieve diarrhea.
“We have confirmed that the benefit of [anastrozole] lasts long term. In addition, although there are early musculoskeletal events associated with aromatase inhibitors, in the long term this does not appear to impact compliance or increase the risk for fractures.”
Aromatase inhibitors lower estrogen levels by stopping an enzyme in fat tissue (called aromatase) from changing other hormones into estrogen. These...
AIs are used mainly to treat women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. But large studies of anastrozole and exemestane have also found th...
The most common side effects of AIs are symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness.These drugs can also cause mu...
What are aromatase inhibitors? Aromatase inhibitors lower estrogen levels by stopping an enzyme in fat tissue (called aromatase) from changing other hormones into estrogen. (Estrogen can fuel the growth of breast cancer cells.) These drugs don’t stop the ovaries from making estrogen.
What are the risks and side effects of aromatase inhibitors? The most common side effects of AIs are symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. These drugs can also cause muscle and joint pain. This side effect can be serious enough to cause some women to stop taking the drugs.
Aromatase Inhibitors for Lowering Breast Cancer Risk. For women with a higher than average risk of breast cancer who are considering taking medicine to lower their risk, drugs called aromatase inhibitors (AIs) may be an option instead of tamoxifen or raloxifene.
These drugs are not yet approved in the US to lower breast cancer risk. However, some expert groups include them as ...
The drugs in this class that have been shown in studies to lower breast cancer risk include: AIs are pills taken once a day.
These drugs are not yet approved in the US to lower breast cancer risk. However, some expert groups include them as options (along with tamoxifen and raloxifene) to reduce breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women who are at increased risk.
What are aromatase inhibitors? Aromatase inhibitors are a group of drugs used to treat breast cancer in women who have been through the menopause. The three aromatase inhibitor drugs are:
Like all drugs, aromatase inhibitors can cause side effects, but it’s not possible to predict how any of the drugs will affect an individual. People often ask if one drug causes fewer side effects than the others. The side effects of all three drugs are similar. However, some people may get on better with one drug than another.
All three aromatase inhibitor drugs have similar effects and no one drug is better than another. If you have been offered an aromatase inhibitor, your specialist will explain why they have recommended that particular drug.
Aromatase inhibitors are used to treat hormone-receptor positive breast cancers. Postmenopausal women may take an aromatase inhibitor. Some premenopausal women may take an aromatase inhibitor when combined with ovarian suppression. Aromatase inhibitors are not used to treat breast cancer in men.
Aromatase inhibitors are not used to treat breast cancer in men. For women with early breast cancer, treatment with an aromatase inhibitor (alone or after tamoxifen) lowers the risk of [1]: The aromatase inhibitors anastrozole (Arimidex), exemestane (Aromasin) and letrozole (Femara) all have a similar benefit [1].
The aromatase inhibitors anastrozole (Arimidex), exemestane (Aromasin) and letrozole (Femara) all have a similar benefit [1]. They also have similar side effects. However, a person may tolerate one drug better than another. Learn more about aromatase inhibitors, including possible side effects.