Letrozole years after tamoxifen

My wife completed treatment for BC (lumpectomy) in 1994. She took tamoxifen
for five years. In her yearly visit with her oncologist, he mentioned that
Femara has been proven beneficial even years after Tamoxifen, but that it
was her decision whether to take it or not.
I wondered if anyone in the group had any experience with letrozole/femara,
and any opinions on it's worth/risk.

Thanks,
Ed

"Ed Kratz" <ekratz2@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:2j11h.1289$zf.685@newsread3.news.pas.earthlin k.net...

> I wondered if anyone in the group had any experience with
> letrozole/femara, and any opinions on it's worth/risk.

I haven't had Femara, but did get switched to a similar drug, another
aromatase inhibitor, after Tamoxifen (only 2.5 years of Tam - long story,
but not due to problem side effects). I've been taking Arimidex for 3.5
years now.

My reading was that there was pretty good evidence that using an aromatase
inhibitor after Tamoxifen was quite beneficial (for those in menopause). It
was murkier whether there was much, if any, difference among the aromatase
inhibitors, at that time. Also, because the drugs are fairly new, there
isn't as much data on long-term side effects. I think the short-term side
effects tended not to be very different from the Tamoxifen -- certainly
weren't for me.

One place you could look for more consumer-comprehensible info is
http://www.breastcancer.org -- one example article available there is a Q&A
about the initial National Cancer Institute Study,
http://www.breastcancer.org/letrozole_femara.html .

Ann T.
Remove 'dontsendspam' from address to reply by email

>"A.P. Thorsen" wrote :
>> "Ed Kratz" wrote :
>>
>> I wondered if anyone in the group had any experience with
>> letrozole/femara, and any opinions on it's worth/risk.
>
> I haven't had Femara, but did get switched to a similar drug, another
> aromatase inhibitor, after Tamoxifen (only 2.5 years of Tam - long story,
> but not due to problem side effects). I've been taking Arimidex for 3.5
> years now.
>
> My reading was that there was pretty good evidence that using an aromatase
> inhibitor after Tamoxifen was quite beneficial (for those in menopause).
> It was murkier whether there was much, if any, difference among the
> aromatase inhibitors, at that time. Also, because the drugs are fairly
> new, there isn't as much data on long-term side effects. I think the
> short-term side effects tended not to be very different from the
> Tamoxifen -- certainly weren't for me.
>
> One place you could look for more consumer-comprehensible info is
> http://www.breastcancer.org -- one example article available there is a
> Q&A about the initial National Cancer Institute Study,
> http://www.breastcancer.org/letrozole_femara.html .

Ann,
I am supposed to start Arimidex soon for 5 years (not after any other).
Ever heard of anyone just taking one for the whole period?
Marsha

"Mizz Marcia Ryder" <MizzOtis@regrets.com> wrote in message
news:fMR1h.21070$OE1.12771@tornado.ohiordc.rr.com. ..
>
> I am supposed to start Arimidex soon for 5 years (not after any other).
> Ever heard of anyone just taking one for the whole period?

Yeah, I think so. And I switched to Armidex after 2.5 years (long story,
but fundamentally it turned out to be for no reason at all!) . . . my onc
decided not to switch me back to Tam, but continue the Arimidex instead
because he said it was looking like the aromatase inhibitors were more
effective. Radiation oncology PA said basically the same thing to me just
today.

Ann T.
Remove 'dontsendspam' from address to reply by email

Mizz Marcia Ryder wrote:
>>"A.P. Thorsen" wrote :
>>
>>I haven't had Femara, but did get switched to a similar drug, another
>>aromatase inhibitor, after Tamoxifen (only 2.5 years of Tam - long story,
>>but not due to problem side effects).
>
>
> Ann,
> I am supposed to start Arimidex soon for 5 years (not after any other).
> Ever heard of anyone just taking one for the whole period?
> Marsha
>
>
That would be normal if you are post-menopausal and at moderate or high
risk of recurrence. Aromatase inhibitors only work if the ovaries are
not producing estrogen, but in that case they are usually more effective
against cancer than estrogen receptor blockers like Tamoxifen.

Tamoxifen tends to have less long term side effects, so may be also
recommended for older women at lower risk or who have some other problem
that make aromatase inhibitors inadvisable.


Tim

Thanks for your comments. My wife is seeing her internist next week to get
his opinion on potential side effects.

Ed
"A.P. Thorsen" <annthorsendontsendspam@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ei5df2$sd8$1@news.msu.edu...
> "Ed Kratz" <ekratz2@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:2j11h.1289$zf.685@newsread3.news.pas.earthlin k.net...
>
>> I wondered if anyone in the group had any experience with
>> letrozole/femara, and any opinions on it's worth/risk.
>
> I haven't had Femara, but did get switched to a similar drug, another
> aromatase inhibitor, after Tamoxifen (only 2.5 years of Tam - long story,
> but not due to problem side effects). I've been taking Arimidex for 3.5
> years now.
>
> My reading was that there was pretty good evidence that using an aromatase
> inhibitor after Tamoxifen was quite beneficial (for those in menopause).
> It was murkier whether there was much, if any, difference among the
> aromatase inhibitors, at that time. Also, because the drugs are fairly
> new, there isn't as much data on long-term side effects. I think the
> short-term side effects tended not to be very different from the
> Tamoxifen -- certainly weren't for me.
>
> One place you could look for more consumer-comprehensible info is
> http://www.breastcancer.org -- one example article available there is a
> Q&A about the initial National Cancer Institute Study,
> http://www.breastcancer.org/letrozole_femara.html .
>
> Ann T.
> Remove 'dontsendspam' from address to reply by email
>

Ed Kratz wrote:
> Thanks for your comments. My wife is seeing her internist next week to get
> his opinion on potential side effects.

Arimidex is the only one I have taken and when offered the Rx I didn't
even ask what the side effects might be. I had just been diagnosed
with having breast cancer and if the potential effect of this
prescription in my hand even remotely kept me from losing the race with
cancer I could only see it as a potential, proper effect of expanding
my life span.

I have taken that little pill for 4 years. Has it worked? Who knows?
There has been no return of the cancer as of yet. Side effects? none
that I know of, unless gaining weight had anything to do with the pill
-- I doubt it, I blame that on my throwing away the cigarettes 3 years
ago (a good thing!). The only negative that I can see is the cost.
Thanks goodness for partial pharmacy insurance!

Not sure about the potential side effects of Letrozole, but it
shouldn't be terribly hard to put the risk on the balance with the fear
of the return of cancer and see where that balancing point is for your
wife. What does she say?

I wouldn't care if they offered me another choice after this last year
on arimidex. Does anyone know if there is more to come after the 5?
Lady Boot

Ed Kratz wrote:
> Thanks for your comments. My wife is seeing her internist next week to get
> his opinion on potential side effects.

Arimidex is the only one I have taken and when offered the Rx I didn't
even ask what the side effects might be. I had just been diagnosed
with having breast cancer and if the potential effect of this
prescription in my hand even remotely kept me from losing the race with
cancer I could only see it as a potential, proper effect of expanding
my life span.

I have taken that little pill for 4 years. Has it worked? Who knows?
There has been no return of the cancer as of yet. Side effects? none
that I know of, unless gaining weight had anything to do with the pill
-- I doubt it, I blame that on my throwing away the cigarettes 3 years
ago (a good thing!). The only negative that I can see is the cost.
Thanks goodness for partial pharmacy insurance!

Not sure about the potential side effects of Letrozole, but it
shouldn't be terribly hard to put the risk on the balance with the fear
of the return of cancer and see where that balancing point is for your
wife. What does she say?

I wouldn't care if they offered me another choice after this last year
on arimidex. Does anyone know if there is more to come after the 5?
Lady Boot