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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
I cannot common in DCIS invasive, so my comments are for IDC itself:
I don't personally know anyone who has cognition or memory issues on an AI, and I don't seem them listed as side effects.
I had severe osteoporosis, as I have written previously, and did 5 years on letrozole. Most people also take a biphosphonate during the AI treatment but I was unable to. I am now on Tymlos.
I would rather deal with some bone loss than cancer. The Breast Cancer Index, at the time I had that test, considered any risk over 4.7% as "high." It is up to your doc and you whether 3% versus 7% is significant.
Another factor might be your ER score. Since your Oncotype was low, I assume your ER% was high.
Replies to "I cannot common in DCIS invasive, so my comments are for IDC itself: I don't personally..."
I started to write back to you, and somehow must have erased the reply in the process of finding online references. I believe there are some therapies for bone loss [Fosamax?} but none for cognitive decline. I will say that there are various 'camps' online...some saying no effect on cognitive ability and some saying the opposite, especially from 12 to 18 months after starting AI.. I've tried to concentrate on .edu and other well-known, reliable sources.
I don't know how cognitive decline is measured, and I don't know if I'd notice it myself, either in others or myself. Some studies have put forth the idea that the stress of the diagnosis may contribute. There's a catch-22!. I'm still up in the air and I need to discuss this further with my dr. It's not my purpose to persuade or dissuade you; I'm just interested in hearing various points of view. Thanks for sharing yours.
Here's another reference to memory loss from https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/cncr.29393:
"...Twelve to 18 Months After Anastrozole Initiation
However, from 12 to 18 months, the anastrozole-alone
group again exhibited a decline in working memory and a
trend toward a deterioration in concentration...."
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Is there a strong correlation between high ER% and lower ONCOTYPE? I’ve not heard that before… learn something everyday… such nuance and complexity.
So sorry about your Mom. It’s a brutal experience that I also experienced. Hugs.