More than 215,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. For many, surgery to remove the tumor is only the first step in the battle against the disease, often followed by radiation or chemotherapy. After that, these women may need to decide with your doctor if you have "adjuvant therapy" medication to help prevent the cancer coming back.
When breast cancer becomes a woman or spreads to other parts of the body that may be at greater risk of dying from the disease. The women whose breast cancer is detected in the lymph nodes near the time of diagnosis and those who receive chemotherapy after surgery are considered at higher risk of recurrence of breast cancer.
Postmenopausal women who the early stages of breast cancer is hormone sensitive have a new option as the first hormonal therapy after surgery. The Food and Drug Administration U.S. ฎ recently approved Femara (letrozole tablets) on December 28, 2005 for this type of use. This approval was based on a median of 24 months of treatment. The study is ongoing to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of Femara. Since the treatment of breast cancer leader, Femara is currently the only drug in a group called aromatase inhibitors has been approved for use both immediately after surgery and after five years of tamoxifen. Femara The FDA granted priority review, a distinction reserved for medications that could potentially offer a significant improvement over current products on the market.
A panel of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the nation's leading group of oncologists, recommends aromatase inhibitors such as Femara, be part of optimal adjuvant treatment for this group of women.
"One of the greatest fears faced by women who have been treated for early breast cancer is that their cancer returning. With Femara, we now have an option that may help address this fear from the beginning, even in patients who we know face the increased risk of recurrence, "said Matthew Ellis, MD, PhD, FRCP, director of the Breast Cancer Program at Washington University in St. Louis.
In a large clinical study of post-surgical treatment of breast cancer, researchers compared the effectiveness of Femara and tamoxifen, another drug prescribed after surgery. An analysis conducted after 26 months showed that Femara reduced the risk of breast cancer coming back by 21% in the reduction offered by tamoxifen. Patients taking Femara also showed a 27 percent reduction in the risk of cancer spreading to other parts of the body.
In this study, women at higher risk of recurrence experienced the greatest benefit from Femara. Femara reduced this risk by 29 percent in women whose breast cancer had already spread to lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis and 30 percent in women who had received prior chemotherapy. The results also showed that in these high-risk women, Femara reduced the risk of cancer spreading to other parts of the body by 33 percent and 31 percent respectively.
In this study, Femara was generally well tolerated with common side effects include hot flashes, joint pain, night sweats, weight gain and nausea.
Tips for Healthy Living
Discuss treatment options after surgery with an oncologist. Whether you are one, five or 10 years after their diagnosis, care of your general health and welfare may also reduce your risk of cancer coming back and give you the energy to do the things in life you love.
• Practice good nutrition
• Exercise regularly
• Tap a support network
• Take time for yourself
Editors Note: Important Safety Information
ฎ Femara (letrozole tablets) is approved for the adjuvant (following surgery) treatment of postmenopausal women with breast cancer hormone receptor-positive early. The benefits of Femara clinical trials are based on 24 months of treatment. More monitoring will be needed to determine the long-term safety and effectiveness.
Tell your doctor if you are allergic to Femara or any of its ingredients. You should not take Femara if you are pregnant because it may cause fetal harm. You must be postmenopausal to take Femara. Some women reported fatigue and dizziness with Femara. Until you know how it affects you, use caution before driving or operating machinery. There was an increase in cholesterol in patients with Femara versus tamoxifen (5.4% vs 1.2%).
In the adjuvant setting, commonly reported side effects were generally mild to moderate. Side effects seen in Femara versus tamoxifen include hot flashes (33.7% vs 38%), joint pain (21.2% vs 13.5%), night sweats (14.1% vs 13.5%) , weight gain (10.7% vs 12.9%) and nausea (9.5% vs 10.4%). Other side effects were bone fractures and osteoporosis.
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