Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer Fact Sheet NCI

Estrogen is a hormone known to cause the growth of breast cancer cells. This is where aromatase inhibitors come in as knights in shining armour. Statistics show that aromatase inhibitors decrease the risk of breast cancer by 50%. They reduce the production of estrogen in the body, resulting in the prevention or cessation of the growth of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells. Generally used aromatase inhibitors are Arimidex (Anastrozole), Letrozole, and Exemestane. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are another class of drug, slightly different from SERMs.

The Third-Generation Aromatase Inhibitors

The potent anti-tumor effects of letrozole have been demonstrated in several animal models 77, 78, 94. Letrozole induced complete regression of estrogen-dependent, 9,10-dimethylbenz-a-anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary tumors in adult female rats 95. How you have treatment depends on the type of hormone therapy you have. Check what is the name of the hormone therapy with your doctor or nurse, then take a look at our A to Z list of cancer drugs. If you have your menopause while on tamoxifen, your doctor might suggest you switch to an aromatase inhibitor such as letrozole. Your doctor might recommend you take tamoxifen tolower the risk of breast cancer coming back (recurring) after surgery.

However, with the introduction of newer hormone therapies (i.e., the aromatase inhibitors), some of which have been compared with tamoxifen in clinical trials, additional approaches to hormone therapy have become common (5–7). Fulvestrant is a type of hormone therapy for post menopausal women with secondary breast cancer that is hormone receptor positive . You may have it if tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors are no longer controlling your cancer. Given that the main source of estrogen production in postmenopausal women comes from the peripheral conversion by the aromatase enzyme, inhibition of this particular enzyme results in the significant further reduction of estrogens. AIs are now considered to be the standard of care for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer 16. Nonetheless, the emergence of resistance to AIs continues to be problematic, particularly in metastatic breast cancer.

Pregnancy And Premenopausal Women

ARIMIDEX has not beenstudied in patients with severe hepatic impairment see DOSAGE ANDADMINISTRATION and CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY. Onepatient treated with ARIMIDEX discontinued the trial because of testicularenlargement. The mean baseline-subtracted change in testicular volume after 6months of treatment was + 6.6 ± 7.9 cm³ in the ARIMIDEX-treated patients and + 5.2 ± IGF1 LR3 1mg Peptide Sciences 8.0 cm³ in the placebo group. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled,multi-center study enrolled 80 boys with pubertal gynecomastia aged 11 to 18years. Patients were randomized to a daily regimen of either ARIMIDEX 1 mg orplacebo.

• In the Aromasin group, 19.9% of women died compared with 21.5% of women who took tamoxifen.
• The median duration of response was 14 months, and the median time to progression was 15 weeks.
• Susan G. Komen® created the Komen Financial Assistance Program to help those struggling with the costs of breast cancer treatment by providing financial assistance to eligible individuals.
• If you are allergic to Anastrozole or its ingredients, tell your doctor before starting treatment with this medication.

In addition, SSRIs are sometimes used to treat hot flashes caused by hormone therapy. As a result of these trials, both tamoxifen and raloxifene have been approved by the FDA to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer in women at high risk of the disease. Tamoxifen is approved for this use regardless of menopausal status. Modern third-generation AIs effectively block the production of estrogen without exerting effects on other steroidogenic pathways and have been heralded as a “triumph of translational oncology” 61. The search for potent and selective inhibitors of aromatase started with the first-generation inhibitor aminoglutethimide 62.