Anyone on AIs when recurrance happened?
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Here is a 2015 study link on fish oil for BC (I didn't read it yet). Whenever you have a question ncbi is a good place to check.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC44180...
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Hmmm, I have taken Aromasin for 2 months. My CA27.29 actually went up to 9.1 from 5.7 a month ago. I just completed 33 sessions of radiation last week. Not sure if it was the radiation raised it up. Should I be concerned about it? Thanks!
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Yes, was on Arimidex since July 2014. Just found out in the end of August that I have mets to bone, liver and lung.
I'm still in a state of shock!
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flwr57 I am so sorry to hear this. Very hard to understand since you had negative nodes and were grade 1. Just makes me realize that it can happen to any of us if it can happen to you with your really good stats. Prayers that they quickly take care of these new issues.0
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Thanks so much for your kind words, letsgogolf!
Just had my appointment today with the oncologists so a plan is in place. Just have to process it all now!
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flwr57 I have a friend who has been stage IV for more than 14 years and she was out playing golf yesterday. She looks super. I can understand your shock at the diagnosis, however. I had micromets in my first sentinel node so I know that my situation could easily change. My sister had breast cancer 2 years ago so I worry about her, also. Her progesterone was weak so I think that makes her risk somewhat higher as well.
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Flwr57, I am so sorry to hear of your new diagnosis. I hope that you have excellent care and that you can stay strong during this transitional time. ((Hugs)).0
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Flwr - I'm so sorry. This s$@t is a fickle beast. I'm in shock for you. Gentle hug.
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flwr, I am so sorry to hear of your mets. I am glad you have a plan in place and hope the new meds keep the beast at bay and get you to NED
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flwr57 I am very sorry too. Want to tell us about your plan? I know a woman who only a few months finished treatment for tnbc and she recurred, no AI of course. She has already had surgery for two small lung nodules and back on chemo today. Any recurrence is bad news for all of us. Would you mind telling us if they were scanning you in the last three years for early detection? Please keep us updated, we are here for you. Hope you are OK
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Thanks so much for everyone's response. I feel a bit calmer now. The plan is first to have rads to try and help with the pain I am having in my ribs and shoulders. My onc has suggested that I participate in a phase IIIb study of Kisqali (ribociclib) and letrozole. Waiting to hear if I have been accepted into this study. With our health care system in Ontario, there is no schedule of scans. If you present with symptoms and are still seeing an onc you will get some type of scan to investigate. In the end of June I had severe pain on my left side and had difficulty breathing. I went to emerg. and they investigated for a suspected PE with blood work, X-rays and a CT. The PE was ruled out and I was told that I probably had some type of muscle strain. The pain slowly improved but got worse again early August. My family doctor was away on vacation so only got an appointment on August 22. That day I had additional X-rays and a fracture in one of my ribs showed up. Had a bone scan on August 24 and found out the next day that I had mets to my skull, shoulders, ribs, spine, jaw, sternum, femur and humerus. A CT on August 30 showed mets to the liver and one spot in the lung.
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Dear flwr57, I'm so sorry for you. It sounds awful I'm afraid, especially the pain. Most of us fear the recurrence. Recurrence is a bad word now. Thank you for telling us your story and we would like to know how your treatment goes. We will be thinking of you.
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flwr15...I'm so sorry you had a recurrence while taking an aromatase inhibitor. Just not fair. Your stats were so favorable. Just proves what a crap shoot recurrence is. We all have to make our own informed decisions and be Ok with them no matter what. Unfortunately you are an example of how there are just no guarantees. Good luck to all navigating this complicated disease.
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Metastatic breast cancer
What every physician needs to know:
http://www.cancertherapyadvisor.com/oncology/metas...
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Home → Research News → Aromatase Inhibitors Seem Less Effective in Obese Women
Aromatase Inhibitors Seem Less Effective in Obese Women
Aromatase inhibitors are hormonal therapy medicines used to treat hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer and help stop the cancer from coming back (recurrence) in postmenopausal women.
Aromatase inhibitors stop the production of estrogen in postmenopausal women. Aromatase inhibitors work by blocking the enzyme aromatase, which turns the hormone androgen into small amounts of estrogen in the body. This means that less estrogen is available to stimulate the growth of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer cells.
The aromatase inhibitors are:
- Arimidex (chemical name: anastrozole)
- Aromasin (chemical name: exemestane)
- Femara (chemical name: letrozole)
A small British study has found that while obese women diagnosed with early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer who took Arimidex and Femara had lower estrogen levels than before they started treatment, their estrogen levels were still more than double those of women at a healthy weight.
The study was published online in the July 16, 2012 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Read the abstract of "Suppression of Plasma Estrogen Levels by Letrozole and Anastrozole Is Related to Body Mass Index in Patients With Breast Cancer."
Earlier research has suggested that Arimidex is less effective than tamoxifen at reducing recurrence risk in obese women.
Tamoxifen is a type of hormonal therapy called a SERM (selective estrogen receptor modulator). SERMs work by sitting in the estrogen receptors in breast cells. If a SERM is in the estrogen receptor, there's no room for estrogen and it can't attach to the cell. If there's no estrogen in the breast cell, the cell doesn't receive estrogen's signals to grow and multiply.
The researchers for this study wanted to know why Arimidex was less effective than tamoxifen at reducing recurrence risk in obese women. Is tamoxifen more effective in these women? Or are aromatase inhibitors less effective?
To try and answer the questions, the researchers looked at the records of 44 postmenopausal women diagnosed with early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. After surgery, some of the women got Arimidex for 3 months, followed by 3 months of Femara. The other women got the same medicines in the opposite order: 3 months of Femara followed by 3 months of Arimidex. Information on the women's body mass index (BMI) and estrogen levels before and after treatment with each aromatase inhibitor was included in the records.
A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered a healthy weight.
The researchers found that before starting on either aromatase inhibitor, women with a BMI of 30 to 35 had estrogen levels that were more than twice as high as women with a BMI of less than 25.
After 6 months of taking the aromatase inhibitors, the obese women's estrogen levels were lower, but still more than twice as high as the estrogen levels of healthy-weight women.
Femara lowered estrogen levels more than Arimidex in all the women, no matter how much they weighed.
These results suggest that aromatase inhibitors don't completely block the production of estrogen in obese postmenopausal women. More research needs to be done to figure out if a higher dose of an aromatase inhibitor will lead to better results or if tamoxifen may be a better option for these women.
If you've been diagnosed with early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer and are a postmenopausal woman with a BMI higher than 30, you may want to ask your doctor about this study. Ask your doctor to explain how your personal risk of recurrence has been calculated, as well as why a specific hormonal therapy is recommended for you.
When you're deciding on a hormonal therapy treatment plan after surgery, keep two things in mind:
- Every woman responds differently to treatment. What works for you may not work for someone else.
- Your treatment plan isn't written in stone. You can always switch medicines if another treatment has more benefits and fewer side effects.
Together, you and your doctor can decide on a hormonal therapy plan that makes the most sense for you.
At the same time, it's a good idea to do everything you can do to keep your risk of recurrence as low as it can be, including making exercise and eating healthy foods a part of your daily routine. It may be hard to make these kinds of changes if you're struggling to recover from treatment. Some women say it helps to think of eating well and exercising as important parts of their treatment plan. You might want to talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian to develop a healthy eating plan designed specifically for you and your needs. Losing weight is hard to do. But it can be done with exercise and careful diet changes. Be nice to yourself; don't punish yourself. Always tell your doctor about any new diet or exercise plans you're using.
In the Breastcancer.org pages on Eating to Lose Weight After Treatment and Exercise, you can learn more about creating a delicious, healthy diet and exercise plan to reach and maintain a healthy weight.
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Published on July 20, 2012 at 12:00 AM
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hello everyone
It's has been awhile. I've been feeling well and working. I've seen OC and BS back in 11/17 and they said I need to do mammogram. I read about how mammogram (for my healthy right breast) can cause cancer due to radiation. So I delayed and reluctant to do it, asked for MRI but they said I couldn't do it due to TE still in my left breast. But I examine the right breast everyday. So suddenly, I felt a small swelling yesterday as I was getting dressed, right near the right armpit when I close my arm. It's kind of a sore there. Can this be a new cancer? Why did it spread to the lymph nodes so fast? I want to add the sore is kind of breast tissue near the armpit not under the armpit. Has anyone have BC speak to this area before. I'm afraid it Might go up to the chest wall. Thanks everyone for any inputs.
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It could be anything from lymphedema to infection, to a host of other things, to a new cancer (but unlikely to come on so suddenly). No matter what, changes deserve prompt medical attention, so call your BS and/or MO.
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did you ever find out if it was Mets to the over? I feel the same pain you were describing
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Hi Mammamoose,
I don’t remember the incident anymore but I’ve had several ultrasound on my good right side since then. So far everything is good. Like kbee said the change cannot be all of a sudden. Since my posting I had the TE removed and it was like night and day I no longer have unexplained rash, Unknown discomfort that makes me always think of recurrence. I’m on Anastrozole since 2016 the only complaint is it further cause my bone loss in lower back. I already have degenerate disk 20 plus years ago. So I work out in gym work with weights or do weight resistance exercise to increase bone density. Due to COVID 19 I have to exercise from home and work from home. Thanks for asking
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