Arimidex during radiation?
Meet the Experts
Sandra F. Schnall, M.D. is a medical oncologist/hematologist who practices at Bryn Mawr Hospital in the Thomas Jefferson University Health System outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Marisa Weiss, M.D. is a radiation oncologist specializing in breast cancer and the founder, president, and guiding force behind Breastcancer.org.
Question from Kandi: Because I am in a clinical trial, I have started Arimidex while still receiving radiation therapy. I understand there might be some controversy about the synergy of the two treatments. Would you comment on that?
- Answer —Marisa Weiss, M.D., president and founder: There is a concern that taking hormonal therapy during radiation might make any cancer cells—if they were there—become less vulnerable to the effect of radiation. This is a theoretical concern. Whether or not it's OK to give a hormonal therapy during radiation has not been studied in a clinical trial.
Recently, two centers looked at whether it's OK to give tamoxifen during radiation or if it's best to push it off until after radiation is done. One study showed it's OK to give it together; the other study showed that radiation MIGHT not work as well if given together. Still, we're left without a clear answer.
Be reassured that large clinical trials such as the NSABP (National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project) studies did use tamoxifen together with radiation, and that radiation worked very well in those studies. So I'd stick to your protocol and expect the best.
On Wednesday, April 21, 2004, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Hormonal Therapy Updates. Sandra Schnall, M.D. and Marisa Weiss, M.D. answered your questions about hormonal therapies and answered questions about which ones work best in different situations, how they might fit into your treatment sequence, how to deal with side effects, and more.
The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.
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