Hi there. I guess Tex would be the one to answer this question… or anyone else who is taking this medication. I saw my oncologist a couple days ago to discuss how I am doing taking Tamoxifen. Besides all the hot flashes and night sweats, I now have a "hard", painful to the touch, area in my abdomen ( middle/lower) that is definitely intestinal. He said that if my FSH numbers are high enough, I can switch to Anastrazole . It is a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor. Should I switch?
Thanks
Leah
Should I switch to Anastrazole?
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Hi Leah,
Well of course I'm not familiar with that particular medication, but in checking it out, Wikipedia seems to have a good discussion about it:
And here are the references cited in that quote:
5. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lance ... 6/fulltext
6. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lance ... 6/fulltext
7. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25346638
Based on these research articles, switching to Anastrozole appears to me to be a good choice (almost a no-brainer), unless they're all overlooking something.
Tex
Well of course I'm not familiar with that particular medication, but in checking it out, Wikipedia seems to have a good discussion about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AnastrozoleThe ATAC (Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination) trial was an international randomised controlled trial of 9366 women with localized breast cancer who received either anastrozole, tamoxifen, or both for five years, followed by five years of follow-up.[5] After more than 5 years the group that received anastrozole had significantly better clinical results than the tamoxifen group.[5] The trial suggested that anastrozole is the preferred medical therapy for postmenopausal women with localized breast cancer, which is estrogen receptor (ER) positive.[5] Another study found that the risk of recurrence was reduced 40%, but was associated with an increased risk of bone fractures. The study concluded that ER positive patients benefited from switching from tamoxifen to anastrozole in patients who have completed 2 years' adjuvant tamoxifen.[6] A more recent trial found that anastrozole significantly reduced the incidence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women relative to placebo, and while there were side effects related to estrogen deprivation observed, the researchers concluded that this was probably not related to the treatment. Lead author Jack Cuzick was quoted by the BBC as saying, "This class of drugs is more effective than previous drugs such as tamoxifen and crucially, it has fewer side effects," adding that he thought there was now enough evidence to support offering the drug.[7]
And here are the references cited in that quote:
5. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lance ... 6/fulltext
6. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lance ... 6/fulltext
7. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25346638
Based on these research articles, switching to Anastrozole appears to me to be a good choice (almost a no-brainer), unless they're all overlooking something.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi Leah,
My cousin (age 58) has been taking it for almost two years and is not having any problems at all. Except, she did break her collar bone in a fall a couple of weeks ago. I don't think it would have weakened her bones that much and that quickly. She is very active, but just had a bad fall. Her doctor said a lot of people do have problems with it, but she has none and looks great. I meet with my oncologist in two weeks and will discuss which one I will take. Fenara is the one he mentioned. I finished radiation last Thurs.
Nancy
My cousin (age 58) has been taking it for almost two years and is not having any problems at all. Except, she did break her collar bone in a fall a couple of weeks ago. I don't think it would have weakened her bones that much and that quickly. She is very active, but just had a bad fall. Her doctor said a lot of people do have problems with it, but she has none and looks great. I meet with my oncologist in two weeks and will discuss which one I will take. Fenara is the one he mentioned. I finished radiation last Thurs.
Nancy