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Aromatase Inhibitors: Did you decide to go on them or not?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: May 12, 2023 | Replies (1190)Comment receiving replies
Do you mean your Oncotype score was 4 with anastrazole? So the score itself was 8? That is a very low score, relatively low risk. What was the grade of your cancer, and any lymph nodes positive, or lymphovascular invasion?
That is quite a list of possible side effects. I believe the lipid rise is a known side effect. Do you think there are any other possible explanations for other side effects? Blood pressure is very variable anyway...
I wonder if you could switch to Femara, or switch brands, or take a half dose or alternate days. The package insert for Femara cites a study showing that 20% of the recommended dose is effective. My doc okayed a half dose (alternate days) but I stayed on a full dose.
I hope the monitoring is helpful. Regardless of cause, your symptoms sound scary and monitors are sometimes reassuring and in any case will tell you what is going on.
Replies to "Do you mean your Oncotype score was 4 with anastrazole? So the score itself was 8?..."
Thank you for the reply - it is helpful and restored hope. The Onco recurrence score was 16; the distant recurrence risk at 9 years with AI therapy is 4%. Quantitative Single- Gene Scores : 11.7 ER Positive; 5.5 PR Positive and 8.8 HER2 Negative. I had a lobular carcinoma with no lymph node involvement My surgeon rated the cancer as Grade 2 with a 5-year survival of 93%. The oncologist used a letter grading system rather than numerical; his grade was 1A or 1B. No lymphovascular invasion. The numbers on my Onco report do not seem to be helpful in predicting outcomes without the aromatase inhibitors. Tomorrow I will visit the website for clarification on the numbers. I appreciate your input. It has been very helpful and motivational.
For what it's worth, i looked at my OncotypeDX report and the risk isn't half of the score. The Recurrence Score (RX) Result is 9. And the Distant Recurrence Risk at 9 Years is 3% [if I take Tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor]. The oncologists I saw say that the current thinking is that the meds can reduce the recurrence rate, all other things being equal, by about 42%. That would make the 3% risk a 5% risk if I do not take Tamoxifen or AIs. Nothing about this BC journey is certain but I'm hoping Oncotype is correct or errs to the conservative on this.
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Perfect answer and it helped me too. Thank you so much