Nonsteroidal Aromatase Inhibitor

Anastrozole is indicated for:
- Treatment of hormone receptor-positive early and metastatic breast cancer in post-menopausal women. It may be used alone or after surgery or radiation. (Early breast cancer is cancer that has not spread outside the breast to other parts of the body.)
- Treatment of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer that has progressed after receiving tamoxifen treatment for post-menopausal women.
- Post-menopausal women where the ER-positive or hormone receptor unknown breast cancer has spread in the breast or to other parts of the body.

For more information, see the following link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000982/ Anastrozole is indicated for:
- Treatment of hormone receptor-positive early and metastatic breast cancer in post-menopausal women. It may be used alone or after surgery or radiation. (Early breast cancer is cancer that has not spread outside the breast to other parts of the body.)
- Treatment of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer that has progressed after receiving tamoxifen treatment for post-menopausal women.
- Post-menopausal women where the ER-positive or hormone receptor unknown breast cancer has spread in the breast or to other parts of the body.

For more information, see the following link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000982/

There is no dosage adjustment for patients taking anastrozole with normal liver function. The physician will monitor the patient's liver function and change medications if needed.
- For elderly post-menopausal women, there are no recommendations to change the dose.
- For patients with mild to moderate liver disease, as determined by liver function tests, there are no recommendations to change the dose.
- In patients with severe liver disease there have been no studies to conclude if the dose should be changed. The physician will decide whether to change medications.

For more information, see the following links:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000982/
http://www.drugs.com/pro/arimidex.html
http://www.rxlist.com/arimidex-drug.htm There is no dosage adjustment for patients taking anastrozole with normal liver function. The physician will monitor the patient's liver function and change medications if needed.
- For elderly post-menopausal women, there are no recommendations to change the dose.
- For patients with mild to moderate liver disease, as determined by liver function tests, there are no recommendations to change the dose.
- In patients with severe liver disease there have been no studies to conclude if the dose should be changed. The physician will decide whether to change medications.

For more information, see the following links:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000982/
http://www.drugs.com/pro/arimidex.html
http://www.rxlist.com/arimidex-drug.htm

Letrozole (Femara) may be employed for breast cancer in these circumstances:
- Early adjuvant treatment for hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer in post-menopausal women. It is unknown how long letrozole should be taken, but the duration of the clinical trial was 5 years. Adjuvant treatment is the administration of letrozole after surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy.
- Extended adjuvant treatment for hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer in postmenopausal women who have received 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen treatment. The ideal length of treatment is not known, as the international study of 5,187 postmenopausal women discovered that when letrozole was taken after completing five years of tamoxifen therapy, there was a decrease in breast cancer recurrences. Treatment may be discontinued if there is a relapse.
- As first or second-line treatment of breast cancer that has advanced in menopausal women after anti-estrogen treatment. Administration may be continued until the breast cancer tumor worsens or metastasizes.
- Locally advanced or metastasized breast cancer with hormone receptor positive or unknown hormone origin.

Here are a couple of other sites to visit for more information.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15161328
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/druginfo/letrozole Letrozole (Femara) may be employed for breast cancer in these circumstances:
- Early adjuvant treatment for hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer in post-menopausal women. It is unknown how long letrozole should be taken, but the duration of the clinical trial was 5 years. Adjuvant treatment is the administration of letrozole after surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy.
- Extended adjuvant treatment for hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer in postmenopausal women who have received 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen treatment. The ideal length of treatment is not known, as the international study of 5,187 postmenopausal women discovered that when letrozole was taken after completing five years of tamoxifen therapy, there was a decrease in breast cancer recurrences. Treatment may be discontinued if there is a relapse.
- As first or second-line treatment of breast cancer that has advanced in menopausal women after anti-estrogen treatment. Administration may be continued until the breast cancer tumor worsens or metastasizes.
- Locally advanced or metastasized breast cancer with hormone receptor positive or unknown hormone origin.

Here are a couple of other sites to visit for more information.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15161328
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/druginfo/letrozole

I am on Femara. I unfortunately have other pills as well. I have them all set up in a pill container for 2 weeks at a time, I take mine at night faithfully with my other meds. I sometimes still get nauseous from Femara so this way I sleep right through it. I would suggest taking it at a time of day that you WILL remember. I find having cancer you just do NOT forget to take it for the fear of cancer returning. Oh and definitely as JK Jones stated above, take calcium and Vitamins D as well. I am on Femara. I unfortunately have other pills as well. I have them all set up in a pill container for 2 weeks at a time, I take mine at night faithfully with my other meds. I sometimes still get nauseous from Femara so this way I sleep right through it. I would suggest taking it at a time of day that you WILL remember. I find having cancer you just do NOT forget to take it for the fear of cancer returning. Oh and definitely as JK Jones stated above, take calcium and Vitamins D as well.

When initiating treatment with Letrozole, here are some topics to be aware of and inform your physician:
- What allergies you have and if you've ever experienced an allergy to Letrozole.
- Your medical history including if you have any issues with cholesterol, liver disease, bone complications, history of stroke or blood clots, heart disease, high blood pressure, or kidney issues.
- Any other medications you are taking and this includes prescription medications, all over-the-counter products you are taking, vitamins, and herbal remedies as they might contain estrogenic components or promote estrogen activity.
- Any other medications that you are taking that contain estrogen such as hormone replacement drugs or hormonal contraceptives which includes all birth control products such as contraceptive pills, patches, rings, or injections.
- If you are taking tamoxifen or raloxifene.
- Women who are perimenopausal or recently menopausal should employ contraception methods until postmenopausal status is achieved. Letrozole is harmful to the fetus.
- If you are pregnant or breast feeding. When initiating treatment with Letrozole, here are some topics to be aware of and inform your physician:
- What allergies you have and if you've ever experienced an allergy to Letrozole.
- Your medical history including if you have any issues with cholesterol, liver disease, bone complications, history of stroke or blood clots, heart disease, high blood pressure, or kidney issues.
- Any other medications you are taking and this includes prescription medications, all over-the-counter products you are taking, vitamins, and herbal remedies as they might contain estrogenic components or promote estrogen activity.
- Any other medications that you are taking that contain estrogen such as hormone replacement drugs or hormonal contraceptives which includes all birth control products such as contraceptive pills, patches, rings, or injections.
- If you are taking tamoxifen or raloxifene.
- Women who are perimenopausal or recently menopausal should employ contraception methods until postmenopausal status is achieved. Letrozole is harmful to the fetus.
- If you are pregnant or breast feeding.

Letrozole is categorized pharmacologically as an Antineoplastic Agent and as an Aromatase Inhibitor. The action of Aromatase Inhibitors is to inhibit the production of estrogens by stopping the conversion of androgen into estrogen.

- Aromatase Inhibitors operate by blocking the aromatase enzyme from converting androgen to estrogen in women who have gone through menopause.
- Post-menopausal women get estrogen from the conversion of androgen into estrogen in the tissues of the body.
- In contrast women who have not gone through menopause receive their estrogen from the ovaries.
- By inhibiting the production of estrogen, the estrogen receptor [ER]-positive and/or progesterone receptor [PR]-positive tumor breast cancer cells cannot grow. Letrozole is categorized pharmacologically as an Antineoplastic Agent and as an Aromatase Inhibitor. The action of Aromatase Inhibitors is to inhibit the production of estrogens by stopping the conversion of androgen into estrogen.

- Aromatase Inhibitors operate by blocking the aromatase enzyme from converting androgen to estrogen in women who have gone through menopause.
- Post-menopausal women get estrogen from the conversion of androgen into estrogen in the tissues of the body.
- In contrast women who have not gone through menopause receive their estrogen from the ovaries.
- By inhibiting the production of estrogen, the estrogen receptor [ER]-positive and/or progesterone receptor [PR]-positive tumor breast cancer cells cannot grow.

Anastrozole (Arimidex) is an anticancer drug. It is a type of nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor. Anastrozole works by decreasing the estrogen production in the body by inhibiting the enzyme that converts androgens into estrogen. By decreasing the amount of estrogen in the body, tumors that need estrogen to grow are inhibited.
Anastrozole (Arimidex) is an anticancer drug. It is a type of nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor. Anastrozole works by decreasing the estrogen production in the body by inhibiting the enzyme that converts androgens into estrogen. By decreasing the amount of estrogen in the body, tumors that need estrogen to grow are inhibited.