Breast Cancer Prevention: Aromatase Inhibitors American Cancer Society

For post-menopausal women with a higher-than-average risk of breast cancer, these drugs may be an option instead of tamoxifen or raloxifene. These medications do not affect estrogen production in the ovaries. Since that’s where most estrogen comes from, aromatase inhibitors are not usually recommended for people with fully functioning ovaries. Aromatase is the enzyme that catalyzes a key aromatization step in the synthesis of estrogen. It converts the enone ring of androgen precursors such as testosterone, to a phenol, completing the synthesis of estrogen. You’ll meet with your cancer doctor, called an oncologist, regularly for follow-up visits while you’re taking hormone therapy for breast cancer.

What are the risks and side effects of aromatase inhibitors?

• Most people take aromatase inhibitors for five years, stopping treatment if they don’t have signs of recurring or new breast cancer.
• They will weigh up the benefit of taking the drug for longer with other factors, such as any side effects you have and whether you want to have children.
• You might choose to have an operation to remove your ovaries instead of having drug treatment to stop them from working.
• In some instances, aromatase inhibitors are given before breast cancer surgery to shrink the tumor, which makes it easier to remove.

Depending on your circumstances, you may undergo tests to monitor your medical situation. These tests help watch for cancer recurrence or progression during hormone therapy. Results of these tests can give your oncologist an idea of how you’re responding to the treatment. Hormone therapy is sometimes combined with targeted therapy. Targeted therapy medicines attack specific chemicals in cancer cells. In women, aromatase inhibitors are only used in those who have gone through menopause.

Side effects

That said, studies show breast cancer can come back as long as 20 years after treatment. If you’re receiving treatment for ER-positive breast cancer, ask your healthcare provider to explain your risk of late recurrence breast cancer. Treatment with tamoxifen for two to five years before aromatase inhibitors may slow down the rate of bone loss. Similarly, bisphosphonate drugs like Zometa (zoledronic acid) may help counteract osteopenia, though they increase the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw.

Many women find that the side effects are often worse at the start of treatment. You usually have these as an injection just under the skin in your tummy (abdomen). It is called a depot injection, which means that the drug is slowly absorbed into your body over a period of time. You may also have leuprorelin as an injection into a muscle in your leg or buttocks. The type of surgery you have is called laparoscopic oophorectomy.

Learn more about the importance of following your breast cancer treatment plan. However, overall survival is the same whether a woman takes an aromatase inhibitor for 5 years or 10 years [ ]. For most women, the benefit of the extra 5 years of treatment is small [112].

Treatments to stop ovarian function may allow those who haven’t been through menopause to take medicines only available to those who’ve https://www.classicalkidsnfp.org/how-steroids-can-help-improve-metabolism-and-3/ been through menopause. You may qualify for programs that help with drug costs or offer low-cost or free prescriptions. However, you don’t need to worry if you miss a day or two. You’ll get a baseline measure of your bone density so changes in your bone density can be monitored.