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Aromatase Inhibitors: Did you decide to go on them or not?
Nanaloves: I’m about to start arimidex and just feel that the contraindications , bone issues etc. are overwhelming. I’m 70 years old, dodged a bullet I feel with zero stage DCIS but the follow up is pretty much no different then if it was more aggressive. I’ve just done 33 treatments of radiation and now they advise arimidex as a preventative. I’m not sure with the beginnings of arthritis and lower back. sensitivity already that I should take it. Anyone not take it and not have a recurrence within the 5 years.
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Good luck!
@windyshores my cancer has not spread, it is limited to one spot. I have had cancer of the
lung two years ago so there not sure if after breast surgery I can take radiation. I go Monday
for a consultation.
Marcia115
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1 Reaction@marcia115 anastrozole is one of the aromatase inhibitors.
When you say your cancer has "come back," has it spread? Or is it a limited local recurrence? If it spreads, you cannot easily just "have it out." With cancer spread, there are treatments that extend our lives but no cure.
Unfortunately, for those of us with ER+ cancers, risk goes up over the years, not down.
they said a 10% chance it could come back. This one took 9 years to come back, I am 81 and they say
the older you are it grows slow. aromatase the same as anastrozole?
Marcia
@marcia115 what is your risk with and without the hormonal meds? I had osteoporosis (pretty severe) but still took the aromatase inhibitor for 5 years, I am now on Tymlos to get bone back.
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1 ReactionI feel the same as you, I have an operation in a few weeks and they want me to
take radiation and the pill. I told them I am 81 and have osteoporosis and this med.
thins out your bones. So if they can't do radiation because I had lung cancer, I will do nothing and hope for the best. if it does come back I will have it out again.
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2 Reactions@kchiavetta86 As always, I urge people to read the entire study. I could pick out a quote that is more reassuring such as:
"Women in both breast cancer groups had poorer executive functioning before and during therapy that did not appear to be influenced by treatment. Multiple mechanisms, including changes in inflammatory cytokines, neurotransmitter dysregulation, stress, and mood, may explain this persistently poorer executive functioning."
Also, while memory and concentration declined in the first 6 months and months 12-18, it actually improved in months 6-12.
In other words, the conclusion in the study is quite complex. I would also add that these meds treat cancer. Frankly, I would choose a "subtle" (the study uses this word) dip in cognition over cancer!
A lot more well-designed studies are needed, including whether these subtle changes rebound after treatment is over. I have to say, I feel fine, after 5 years, but everyone is different.
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2 ReactionsNo, your not the only one. I’m extremely concerned as well since most AI’s list side effects that can damage the heart. My Oncologist looked at me like I was crazy so I took it upon myself to find a cardiologist. I’ve gotten a heart calcium score after some scans for other stuff showed calcium. I’m refusing anything until I get clearance from a cardiologist. I had my appointment last week. He scheduled a chemical stress test & an ultrasound to check the abdominal aorta on 11/28. He said he can’t tell if there is any blockage or arteries that have been blocked until the stress test. After testing we’ll evaluate which meds would be best for my ER/PR+ DCIS depending on the results. I’m passing on radiation after a lumpectomy so I think the AI’s would be beneficial as an added precaution. If your hearts not ok then there’s not much point in treatments that are going to make that worse. Without your heart you’ve got nothing & with my family’s terrible cardiac history I had to be my own advocate………AGAIN! I don’t trust the “here take a pill” & the rest be damned mentality. I also have Osteoporosis so I’m looking into Osteo Strong instead of another pill.
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2 ReactionsMy KI% was also 20, and grade 3. I do believe the company told me that my high ER% could account for the low Oncotype, but at year 5 the Breast Cancer Index said no benefit to further treatment with AI! I had so many contradictory tests over the course of my treatment! We can only do the best we can. Doctors are the best guides (I don't always feel that way, but with breast cancer, once I found the right doc, I trusted....).
Let me know!
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