Aromatase Inhibitors for Breast Cancer Treatment

Armidex, Aromasin, and Femara can cause fetal harm and should not be used if there is any chance of pregnancy. As a safeguard, pregnancy testing is recommended seven days prior to the start of treatment if a woman’s menopausal status is unknown. Advise your oncologist https://www.sinkeeting.com.my/en/drugs-that-aid-in-recovering-from-athletic/ about any medications you are taking, whether they are pharmaceutical, over-the-counter, recreational, or traditional to avoid drug interactions. Each individual aromatase inhibitor has its own specific indications.

Talk with your health care provider about how long you should take an aromatase inhibitor. When an aromatase inhibitor is taken after tamoxifen, the drugs are taken for a combined total of 5-10 years. Aromatase inhibitors are used to treat breast cancer in women.

No dose adjustment is necessaryfor patients with renal or liver impairment or elderly patients. Clinical trials have shown that two aromatase inhibitors – anastrozole and exemestane – can lower breast cancer risk in women who have never been diagnosed with the disease. However, these drugs have not yet received FDA approval for this use.

Aromatase Inhibitors to Prevent Breast Cancer Recurrence

As an agent to induce ovulation, dosing is 2.5 mg to 5 mg daily for 5 days starting on day 3 of the menstrual cycle. Renal adjustment is unnecessary if creatinine clearance is above 10. In patients with cirrhosis of the liver, CHild-Pugh Class C, increase the dosing interval to every 48 hours.

In rare cases, they are used to treat breast cancer in men. “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. Aromatase inhibitors are most often used to treat existing breast cancers or to prevent previous breast cancers from recurring. Compounds that inhibit AROMATASE in order to reduce production of estrogenic steroid hormones.

In contrast to premenopausal women, in whom most of the estrogen is produced in the ovaries, in postmenopausal women estrogen is mainly produced in peripheral tissues of the body. The heightened gonadotropin levels also upregulate the aromatase promoter, increasing aromatase production in the setting of increased androgen substrate. This would counteract the effect of the aromatase inhibitor in premenopausal women, as total estrogen would increase.

Hormone therapy for breast cancer is only used to treat cancers that are hormone sensitive. Hormone-sensitive breast cancers are fueled by the natural hormones estrogen or progesterone. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are drugs used to lower breast cancer risk in some post-menopausal women.

Can aromatase inhibitors lower the risk of breast cancer?

• Your doctor might recommend you take tamoxifen to lower the risk of breast cancer coming back (recurring) after surgery.
• Generic drugs cost less than name brand drugs but are just as effective.
• For some people with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer (one of the most common types), aromatase inhibitors are a safe, effective treatment.
• Aromatase inhibitors help lower estrogen levels, but they don’t stop the ovaries from making estrogen.
• This would counteract the effect of the aromatase inhibitor in premenopausal women, as total estrogen would increase.

Aromatase inhibitors also keep ER-positive breast cancer from recurring, or coming back, after breast cancer surgery. If you have an increased risk of developing ER-positive breast cancer, taking an aromatase inhibitor may reduce your risk. Even more impressive, a number of clinical studies have suggested that aromatase inhibitors may be just as effective in preventing breast cancer as preventing breast cancer recurrence. 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.

Women with pre-existing heart disease who take an AI may be at higher risk of having a heart problem. Aromatase inhibitors are typically used to treat people who have already experienced menopause. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. In addition to pharmaceutical AIs, some natural elements have aromatase inhibiting effects, such as damiana leaves.