When deciding on the best treatment plan for YOU, you and your doctor will consider the benefits of each treatment, as well as the possible side effects of each option.
The study reviewed here showed that 2 hormonal therapy medicines used to reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back (recurrence) have different side effects. Women who received tamoxifen were more likely to have hot flashes and vaginal bleeding than women who got Aromasin (chemical name: exemestane). Women who got Aromasin were more likely to have bone and muscle aches, vaginal dryness, difficulty sleeping, and decreased interest in sex. These differences are probably because the 2 medicines work in different ways.
If you're taking adjuvant hormonal therapy medicine to reduce your risk of breast cancer coming back, you might have some of the side effects mentioned here. If the side effects are a problem, talk to your doctor about managing them or switching medications. Don't let side effects stop you from doing all you can to lower your risk of recurrence.
For more information on why it's so important to stick to your treatment plan, visit the Breastcancer.org Staying on Track with Treatment section.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Among postmenopausal women receiving adjuvant therapy for early breast cancer, exemestane is associated with fewer hot flashes than is tamoxifen, but it also causes more sleep problems, according to a study published the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
"Hormonal breast cancer treatment increases menopausal symptoms in women," note Dr. Stephen E. Jones and colleagues from US Oncology Research Inc., Houston.
The investigators used questionnaires, completed by more than 1,500 women to assess 10 common symptoms in the first year of a clinical trial of tamoxifen or exemestane. Tamoxifen is sold under the trade name Nolvadex, and exemestane is sold under the trade name Aromasin.
The patients had completed surgery and chemotherapy for early breast cancer. All of the women had hormone receptor-positive cancers, which respond to these two agents.
The prevalence of the initial symptoms ranged from 2 percent (for vaginal bleeding) to 75 percent (for fatigue).
Patients who received tamoxifen experienced significantly more vaginal discharge than those who received exemestane. Those who received exemestane had more bone and muscle aches, vaginal dryness, difficulty sleeping and decreased libido.
In both treatment groups, hot flash scores peaked at about 3 months and decreased thereafter. As mentioned, patients in the tamoxifen group had a significantly higher mean hot flash score at 12 months than those in the exemestane group.
"These are common complaints and the treatments used make some worse," Jones commented to Reuters Health. "Oncologists and other oncology health professionals need to be aware of the commonplace nature (of these side effects) and attempt to help wherever possible," he said. For example, he suggested it may be necessary to treat the hot flashes if they are affecting the patient's of life.
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Oncology, October 20, 2007.
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