Aromasine for breast cancer

I was diagnosed with T2N0M0 breast cancer and went for mastectomy followed by 4 sessions of Taxotere. Now my doctor prescribed  Aromasin alone for 5 years. He did not give me Tamoxifen first  followed by Aromasin, but just Aromasin for 5 years. Is this acceptable ? I am 57 years old, mother of 4 children.
Please advise.

[bluebutterfly2222]

This is not only acceptable, it is the most up-to-date approach.

A recent study confirmed the long-term superior efficacy and safety of anastrozole (Arimidex) over tamoxifen as initial adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women with hormone-sensitive early breast cancer.

It is apparently considered likely that this would hold true for the other AIs, such as Aromasin, but if you wish, you could ask your doctor about the possibility of trying Arimidex in place of Aromasin.

Best wishes...

[zouzi]

Hi,
I was also advised by my oncologist to start Arimidex (similar drug as Aromasin) because I am post menopausal.Tamoxifen is usually prescribed for women who are pre-menopausal.
Tamoxifen works by blocking the effects of estrogen on the growth of malignant cells only in breast tissue .However, tamoxifen does not stop completely the production of estrogen found in bones,muscles etc... like Arimidex or other Aromatase inhibitors can.
I guess that your oncologist is the one who knows better what is the appropriate medication for your particular case...
If you have any doubt concerning Aromasin and Tamoxifen,you could seek the opinion of another oncologist for better understanding the difference between the two drugs..In my case both my surgeon and my oncologist agreed that Arimidex is the proper medication for me.
I hope that I have helped you a little and I wish you all the best...:)

[hoda001]

Thank you for your answer.
All I could find on the net was Tamoxifen followed by Aromasin.
Did not find a single site prescribing Aromsain alone.
I guess my doctors chose Aromasine because in my case it would be better than Arimidex.You put my mind at rest somehow.
Have a nice day.

[hoda001]

So you are not taking Tamoxifen at all ? How long do you have to be on Arimidex ? Isn't 5 years too long with all the side-effects ?
Do you take any calcium or vitamins ?
Thanks for your answer,
Have a nice day.

[zouzi]

You welcome hoda,
No, I never took Tamoxifen,but started immediately with Arimidex which I will be taking for the next 3 years (2 years already gone).
Yes it's prescribed for 5 years.I also think it's too long to be taking this kind of drug,but that's the way it goes to better protect us from cancer recurrence.
I don't have much of side effects, but whatever I have,like bone aches,joints pain  etc...I can tolerate it quite well.
I do take Calcium +Vitamin D daily.
If you see that you can not tolerate Aromasin,you can always ask your oncologist to try another similar drug which might be better for you.
Have a nice day too....and good luck! :)

[bluebutterfly2222]

Hi again,

Since you are interested in reseach, I have sent you, in  a private message, a copy of the report on the study I mentioned above, which just appeared in Lancet.

And here is the part of the revised  guidelines on hormonal therapy, put out a few months ago by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, that pertains to postmenopausal women with hormone positive breast cancer:

"To lengthen disease-free survival and lower risk for recurrence (i.e., locoregional or distant recurrence or contralateral breast cancer), postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer should consider an AI, either as primary adjuvant therapy for 5 years or sequentially after 2 to 3 years of tamoxifen to yield a total of 5 years of adjuvant endocrine therapy. Women who discontinue initial AI therapy before 5 years should consider using tamoxifen to bring the total duration of adjuvant therapy to 5 years."

I hope these will add to your comfort level regarding your doctor's recommendation.

And as zouzi indicated, women differ in their tolerance for the various AIs, so if one gives too many side effects, it is possible to switch to another.

Please keep us posted regarding how you are doing, by adding additional comments to this same thread.

Regards,
bb