Aromatase Inhibitors for Breast Cancer Treatment

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Aromatase Inhibitors for Breast Cancer Treatment

If you’re receiving chemotherapy, you might stop having periods. That’s not unusual — but it does not mean your ovaries are not functioning or that you’re menopausal. Aromatase inhibitors bind to aromatase and stop the process of conversion to estrogen. This keeps estrogen levels down and helps prevent cancer cells from getting the estrogen they can use to grow and spread.

How do you take an aromatase inhibitor?

An enzyme called aromatase takes other hormones and converts them into estrogen. One goal of aromatase inhibitor treatment is to lower estrogen levels. Elevated estrogen levels are common in men that take testosterone and those who are overweight. Consequently, men with high estrogen may experience numerous symptoms, one of which is gynecomastia, aka „man boobs.”

Side effects

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. Aromatase inhibitors are pills, so they’re covered under your health insurance plan’s prescription drug benefit rather than the plan’s medical benefit. This means there are usually out-of-pocket costs, which can add up over time. Although the exact treatment for breast cancer varies from person to person, evidence-based guidelines help make sure high-quality care is given. These guidelines are based on the latest research and agreement among experts. Learn more about the importance of following your breast cancer treatment plan.

  • They typically remain on the drugs for five to 10 years, depending on how likely the cancer is to return.
  • Talk with your health care team about ways to ease these and other side effects.
  • Aromatase inhibitors should not be used in people with a known hypersensitivity to any of the active or inactive ingredients in the drug.
  • Your oncologist will ask about any side effects you’re experiencing.
  • Aromatase inhibitors also can be used to treat advanced breast cancer.

Hormone therapy before surgery

You may have it if tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors are no longer controlling your cancer. An aromatase inhibitor (AI) is a type of hormone therapy for cancer. Healthcare providers use aromatase inhibitors to treat a common breast cancer type. This therapy reduces your risk that breast cancer will come back after surgery. If you’re at an increased risk of a specific breast cancer, taking an aromatase inhibitor may reduce that risk.

Anastrozole, exemestane and letrozole are equally effective and have similar side effects [90, ]. The most common side effects of AIs are symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. Aromatase inhibitors can interact with certain medications. Some interactions may decrease the concentration of the aromatase inhibitor in the blood and require a dose adjustment to compensate for the effect. These losses can lead to osteoporosis, a condition characterized by the collapse of spinal vertebras, stooped posture, a loss of height, and an increased risk of bone fractures. A breast cancer diagnosis after menopause can be overwhelming.

They are called oestrogen receptor positive or ER positive (ER+) breast cancer. Around 80 out of every 100 breast cancers (around 80%) are oestrogen receptor positive. Aromatase inhibitors also keep ER-positive breast cancer from recurring, or coming back, after breast cancer surgery. If you have an increased risk of developing ER-positive breast cancer, taking an aromatase inhibitor may reduce your risk.

Aromatase inhibitors reduce the conversion of testosterone into estrogen (estradiol) and androstenedione into estrone, the latter being a minor estrogenic hormone in men. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is growing in popularity for treating low testosterone https://www.sicomoro-onlus.org/the-results-of-stanozolol-tablets-what-you-need-to/ levels. The conundrum some men face is that estrogen levels tend to increase as testosterone levels do. As part of the steroidogenesis pathway, testosterone is metabolized into either dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by the 5-alpha reductase enzyme or estradiol by the aromatase enzyme. Tamoxifen is one of the most commonly used hormone therapies for breast cancer.

If you have ER-positive breast cancer, aromatase inhibitor therapy significantly reduces your risk that breast cancer will come back. One early study compared outcomes for those who took the aromatase inhibitor letrozole after tamoxifen and people who didn’t. The study showed that taking letrozole reduced the risk of dying of breast cancer by 24% to 35%. Additional studies are underway to determine whether aromatase inhibitors may reduce the risk of breast cancer in people with genetic mutations that increase breast cancer risk. Hormone therapy for breast cancer is often used after surgery to reduce the risk that the cancer might return.