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Dec. 4, 2003 (SAN ANTONIO) -- Some women with breast cancer may have another treatment option outside of undergoing a mastectomy. It lies in a new class of hormone drugs called aromatase inhibitors, British researchers report.
In the study of nearly 300 women, those who took the aromatase inhibitor Arimidex were significantly more likely to become candidates for breast-conserving surgery than those who took standard tamoxifen, said Ian Smith, MD, of Royal Marsden Hospital in London.
The study, presented here at the 26th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, adds to the growing body of evidence indicating that Arimidex is a better choice than tamoxifen for the treatment of postmenopausal women with breast cancer.
In the treatment of breast cancer, drug therapy is also part of the treatment regiment. These drugs prevent the body's estrogen from promoting the growth of breast cancer cells. Tamoxifen and Arimedex both target estrogen, which fuels about three in five breast cancers. But while tamoxifen blocks the body's natural estrogen from getting into cancer cells, aromatase inhibitors such as Arimidex actually slash the production of estrogen. By decreasing the tumors exposure to estrogen, tumors may decrease in size and growth of tumor may be delayed.
The different mechanisms of action appear to give Arimidex an edge over tamoxifen, a mainstay of breast cancer treatment for the past 25 years, Smith says.
Arimidex appears to be at least as effective as tamoxifen when given prior to surgery he says. "And while the conclusion regarding breast conserving surgery is interesting, there are so many other factors that enter the equation of whether to do a mastectomy or a lumpectomy that it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions." Among those factors are: age of the patient, tumor size, surgeon bias, and cultural preferences, he says.
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/78/95658.htm?z=1728_00000_1000_ln_02
In the study of nearly 300 women, those who took the aromatase inhibitor Arimidex were significantly more likely to become candidates for breast-conserving surgery than those who took standard tamoxifen, said Ian Smith, MD, of Royal Marsden Hospital in London.
The study, presented here at the 26th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, adds to the growing body of evidence indicating that Arimidex is a better choice than tamoxifen for the treatment of postmenopausal women with breast cancer.
In the treatment of breast cancer, drug therapy is also part of the treatment regiment. These drugs prevent the body's estrogen from promoting the growth of breast cancer cells. Tamoxifen and Arimedex both target estrogen, which fuels about three in five breast cancers. But while tamoxifen blocks the body's natural estrogen from getting into cancer cells, aromatase inhibitors such as Arimidex actually slash the production of estrogen. By decreasing the tumors exposure to estrogen, tumors may decrease in size and growth of tumor may be delayed.
The different mechanisms of action appear to give Arimidex an edge over tamoxifen, a mainstay of breast cancer treatment for the past 25 years, Smith says.
Arimidex appears to be at least as effective as tamoxifen when given prior to surgery he says. "And while the conclusion regarding breast conserving surgery is interesting, there are so many other factors that enter the equation of whether to do a mastectomy or a lumpectomy that it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions." Among those factors are: age of the patient, tumor size, surgeon bias, and cultural preferences, he says.
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/78/95658.htm?z=1728_00000_1000_ln_02