Aromatase Inhibitors: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Interactions

Find out about aromatase inhibitors, a type of hormone therapy normally used to treat breast cancer in women who have gone through the menopause, including side effects and how they work. For some people with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer (one of the most common types), aromatase inhibitors are a safe, effective treatment. However, they’re not for everyone with ER-positive breast cancer. Some people may find it difficult to tolerate the possible side effects. In pre menopausal women, doctors might use a type of hormone treatment to stop the ovaries from producing oestrogen.

• Your doctor checks your cancer cells for these receptors when you are diagnosed.
• Treatment with tamoxifen for two to five years before aromatase inhibitors may slow down the rate of bone loss.
• They may also be used for chemoprevention in women at high risk for breast cancer.
• Learn more about the importance of following your breast cancer treatment plan.

Breast cancer can spread from where it started to other parts of the body. “Procyanidin B dimers are a phytochemical that is found in the skin and seeds of grapes. Aromatase inhibitor therapy does not affect estrogen production in the ovaries.

The type of surgery you have is calledlaparoscopic oophorectomy. Aromatase inhibitors are typically used to treat people who have already experienced menopause. People who are prescribed tamoxifen should discuss the use of all other medications with their doctors. Breast cancers that lack ERs are called ER negative, and if they lack both ER and PR they may be called HR negative. Use of PMC is free, but must comply with the terms of the Copyright Notice on the PMC site.

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In postmenopausal women, whose ovaries are no longer functioning, the peripheral tissues are the predominant source of estrogen. Hormone receptor-positive breast cancers need estrogen and/or progesterone (female hormones) to grow. Learn about aromatase inhibitors and other hormone therapies for metastatic breast cancer. Like tamoxifen, these drugs are more often used to treat hormone receptor-positive breast cancer than to lower breast cancer risk. Aromatase inhibitor medicines are used to treat certain types of breast cancer, where the cancer cells need oestrogen (a hormone) to grow. However, do not take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or any other medicines that relieve menopausal symptoms.

Menopause symptoms such as hot flushes, difficulty sleeping, tiredness and low mood usually improve during the first months of taking anastrozole. However, if they are severe or last longer than a few months, talk to your doctor https://www.ecuacionnatural.com/study-shows-promising-results-of-primobolan-in/ or breast cancer nurse. All the treatments that stop your ovaries working give you an early menopause, but this might be temporary with goserelin. You are likely to have menopausal symptoms that start very suddenly.

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The most common way to have hormone therapy for breast cancer is after surgery. The aim of hormone treatment after surgery is to lower the risk of the cancer coming back. Hormone therapy is only likely to work if the breast cancer cells have oestrogen receptors (ER). Your doctor checks your cancer cells for these receptors when you are diagnosed. Hormone therapy for breast cancer is only used to treat cancers that are hormone sensitive.

Women who haven’t gone through menopause, either naturally or as a result of cancer treatment, can have treatment to stop their ovaries from producing hormones. Decisions about the type and duration of adjuvant hormone therapy are complicated and must be made on an individual basis in consultation with an oncologist. If you have vaginal dryness or other vaginal symptoms, talk with your health care provider about ways to treat them. It’s recommended you have a dental exam (along with any dental work that needs to be done) before you start treatment with a bisphosphonate or denosumab [8].

These are called luteinising hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists. For example, goserelin (Zoladex) and leuprorelin (Prostap, Lutrate). You might have this on its own or with other hormone therapy drugs such as tamoxifen or exemestane. In this case, if your breast cancer is oestrogen receptor positive, your doctor might recommend hormone therapy.

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When an aromatase inhibitor is taken after tamoxifen, the drugs are taken for a combined total of 5-10 years. The most common side effects of AIs are symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. Your doctor may recommend a type of medicine called a bisphosphonate to help reduce bone damage. They can also give you advice on exercise and diet to help keep your bones strong. You will have bone density scans before you start taking anastrozole, 1 or 2 years into treatment and again after you finish your treatment. It’s a worrying time for many people and we want to be there for you whenever – and wherever – you need us.