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Is there anyone that had estrogen positive cancer, without use of AI?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Dec 15, 2023 | Replies (146)Comment receiving replies
@auntieoakley i think it works, but one size fits all doesn’t seem correct. I find it interesting that Femara insert states 20% dosage is effective. I have not seen this , just what was posted. I’ll research this. I don’t upset anyone, but I fine think the dosage ‘should’ be one size fits all. Thanks Chris for being a great mentor. Hugs
Replies to "@auntieoakley i think it works, but one size fits all doesn’t seem correct. I find it..."
I agree with you that one size does not fit all, or should not fit all. @windyshores talks more at length about this. In all the years I took these therapies, not one of my doctors ever tested my estrogen levels. These are not new drugs so it seems like if 20% letrozole is effective that a lower dose should be considered by doctors, especially for patients like you who tried but had too many side effects.
The doctor I had would never have even considered it. I had my ovaries removed and still had 5 years of tamoxifen, before switching to anastrozole. I was in my 30s at the time so there was still way too much estrogen flowing. Lol
These are just my personal experiences, I would hope that they can serve as a point of hope that you can get a better experience. If I had known then what I know now, I would have advocated for myself more.
I know you tried endocrine therapy but I don’t remember which drugs you tried, did you try letrozole? How long ago was this?
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There are other situations where a new drug is recommended at a standard dose, and, over time, studies show that a lower dose can be as, or almost as, effective as the original one. And the 'usual dose' size is reduced to reflect that. [I wrote a study on the pharma industry and am basing this on that practice as explained to me by senior managements.]
Another point is that some drugs are so critical, and can be life-saving, that the goal us to get the drug on the market and avaliable for all at a dose believed to be universally-beneficial. And then monitor and tweak the dose as more results accumulate. It's an imperfect balance but the goal is to get viable drugs at least available ASAP.