Tamoxifen

[janjan19]

Dr. Goodman- my Ca125 appears to be rising & my doctor has put me on tamoxifen.  I know this is used in breast cancer pts but what is it used for in ovca pts?  My recent PET/CT scan did not show any recurrent disease.

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi There,
I use tamoxifen alot. There is good experience with tamoxifen in women with ovarian cancer. In about 20 % of women, it will slow the grow of cancer cells. It is reasonable to consider this when there is no obvious sign of cancer. I know it must be very anxiety producing! please let us know how things are going for you
take care

[PF_PVD]

I also have a rising CA125 with no signs of disease on any scans or symptoms just 4 weeks out of remission from first-line chemo.  My med/onc gave me a prescription for Tamoxifen or he said I could just do nothing for now.  Even with a twin and a mother with breast cancer, I have decided to go just the watchful waiting route for a while.  It's a personal decision.  Just wanted you to know that like Dr. Goodman said, this is something they are now prescribing for OVCA as well as BC, and I still may end up giving it a try.  Best wishes...

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi there,
Arimidex has also been used. I have pasted a paper below.
best wishes

Gynecol Oncol. 2003 Dec;91(3):596-602
Phase II trial of anastrozole in women with asymptomatic müllerian cancer

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the selective aromatase inhibitor anastrozole (Arimidex), we conducted a phase II trial in 53 women with asymptomatic recurrent/persistent müllerian cancer. METHODS: Patients with ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian tube carcinoma were eligible for enrollment. Eligible patients had an ECOG PS 90 days, 15% for >180 days, 7% for >270 days, and 4% for >360 days. One patient remained on anastrozole at 15 months. Toxicity was modest (grade I) and infrequent, with the most common toxicities being fatigue and hot flashes. There were no thrombotic complications. Median time to progression for patients with estrogen receptor-positive tumors was 72 days as compared to 125 days for those with tumors negative for the estrogen receptor (P = 0.95, log-rank test). The median time to progression in patients with progesterone-positive tumors was 77 days and 91 days for patients with progesterone-negative tumors. CONCLUSION: In summary, anastrozole is a well-tolerated oral agent but with minimal tumoricidal activity in women with recurrent/persistent müllerian cancers. A minority of patients demonstrated prolonged stable disease while on this agent.

[spotello]

Is arimadex as good as tamoxifen in OVCA treatment?  I was stage 3C after surgery in 05.  I'm wondering about it's value in combination with taxol/avastin for recurrence.  My med/onc is recommending it.  Thanks

[janjan19]

Thanks so much for the info.