Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole

I would really appreciate this insight too as I am starting anastrozole. Just scared of the side affects but have been told it will be highly beneficial for me!😌

Hello trixie1313 and thank you for sharing your information with me. Alas, we have had the most complete pathology available done to the tumor tissue and gotten second opinions and.....we've done it all. There is a chance it is enteric adeonocarcinoma of the lung, a lung cancer that they say is 'rare' but looks more to me like it's just under diagnosed. We've been watching and waiting for over a year now for the cancer to show up somewhere else (in the upper GI tract) to rule out those type of cancers and it has not. So, they are leaning toward this supposed 'rare' type of lung cancer. They even sent the tumor out for the most extensive type of cancer as the doctors are frustrated as well.
It is not common but sometimes cancers appear and then actually regress or go away and we never knew we had them. This was caught purely through a test for something else. At the time it was diagnosed my husband was in bad shape and feeling truly awful, so he presented as a very ill man. His symptoms were from a heart condition however that was easily fixed. Now he has no symptoms of any kind of cancer and has not this whole time. It's truly odd.
I am going to look into neuroendocrine tumor of the lung and the oat cell ca of the lung as well.

Thank you! Hugs!!

@cindylb
Cindy - For your husband, ask your oncologist if the pathologists did not do the right staining for neuroendocrine tumor of the lung, may I suggest they relook at it? My second lesion in my breast was noted to be just that. It is a very rare cancer that cannot be eradicated, but can be maintained. It can go to lung, brain, bone, etc. It is followed by PET scans - for me it is every 6 months. I am not trying to scare you, but to offer this suggestion due to it's rarity since they have not put a name on it. I was told that it would be treated with the same type of chemo that they treat oat cell ca of the lung with. I have had 3 different pathologists go over mine and was presented again at the Tumor Board at my medical facility. They all agreed that my neuroendocrine was differentiation and they felt it was removed but will need the follow up. Please let us all know how he does.

Well, all, off to second opinion medical oncologist today. I read and read articles your comments and I want to know! I want to know why no hormone blood tests, no mri, and no discussion about possibility of not doing AIs.
I question it because of the stage of my cancer 1a, the additives doctors want to each of the meds, the side effects, and I followed orders why does my percentage go up????
It gets very disheartening having to be my own advocate, but reading through doctor notes again I would be on AI for 10 years! I am almost 65, retired, just starting to travel, and have 4 young grandsons...quality of life has to be in there, too.
Thank you for all your posts and realistic open opinions.
With appts every 6 months for the next few years hope to catch anything if there is a recurrence anywhere.

samy..........you are weighing your options well. Talk with your doctors about your feelings and also your existing medical conditions. My current oncologist knows I wasn't keen on the drugs but when so many side effects hit me with 3 out of 4 options.....he has been supportive and understanding that I don't want to live like that.
To put that in perspective a little - my husband was diagnosed with cancer 15 months ago At the time of diagnosis and until today, they know the cancer is in his lung and nearby lymph node and was found through a CT scan for his COPD. Here's the hard part.......they don't even know what type of cancer it is!! Yup, not consistent in any of the many tests, scans and the many genomic and pathological studies to be a certain cancer. They told him he would be dead in 12 months max. He's still here. In addition, the only treatment they can offer is chemo, but multiple types of chemo - because they don't know what kind of cancer it is. They took surgery, radiation, SBRT radiation and all targeted and immumotherapy off the table for him early on. They just offered every massive type of chemo they could find. He declined. He is using medical marijuana only and although he isn't well generally........he is not dead (thank goodness) and his tumor has shrunk over the last 12 months and his cancer activity in his blood is up, but only slightly. My point is this.........he could have done what not one but three doctors suggested and had all that chemo and the side effects months ago and been sick all this time. Perhaps the cancer would be gone, but perhaps not. Sometimes doctors can only offer what they have and what they know. But what they don't know........whether it will work for any specific individual. The ultimate decision is the patients and that's tough on us. For my husband, doing nothing and waiting has been the right decision .....so far....it might not be down the road, but for now, he wasn't willing to be ill the last year of his life (which is now, NOT the last year of his life). If you feel strongly that you don't want these drugs, do all you can to be well and make sure your doctors keep a close eye on you for recurrence.
Hugs!

Colleen, Can you find articles or studies on any of the following topics:
--reoccurence percentages for postmenopausal women taking AIs vs taking tamoxifen/
--side effects of the steroid in Aromosin and its effectiveness compared to other AIs
Thank you.
Francine

That article about "Early breast cancer in the older woman" is a good find, @cindylb. Note that it is from 2012, @samy, but it is a great place to start making lists of questions for your oncologist. I did some digging around as well and found these 2017 articles.
- Aromatase inhibitors for early-stage breast cancer https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK447104/
- Aromatase inhibitors in the extended treatment of early-stage breast cancer https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK447116/
- Aromatase inhibitors as upfront therapy for early-stage breast cancer https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK447121/

@monical, you raise some valid concerns. When your doctor prescribed anastrozole for you, did you have time to tell her about your concerns or are they coming up now as you learn more about possible side effects? Maybe it would be a good idea to schedule an appointment to get your concerns addressed before starting.

Thanks for the links. Wish they were age-specific, they’re not. But, you’re right, I have questions - basically only one question, really. Are AI drugs worth taking at my age? It’s not complicated question, it’s a quality of life “yes or no” issue for me. The idea of being debilitated with pain because of these meds until age 74 is not acceptable. I’ve a history of many sinus infections, sinus surgery that caused a stroke and hemianopsia, high BP and heart palpitations, both successfully treated with meds. I just don’t want to make life worse, it’s not worth it to me. From what I’ve read, some are unfortunate enough to have horrible symptoms linger after stopping the drug. I just don’t want to play.

That article about "Early breast cancer in the older woman" is a good find, @cindylb. Note that it is from 2012, @samy, but it is a great place to start making lists of questions for your oncologist. I did some digging around as well and found these 2017 articles.
- Aromatase inhibitors for early-stage breast cancer https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK447104/
- Aromatase inhibitors in the extended treatment of early-stage breast cancer https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK447116/
- Aromatase inhibitors as upfront therapy for early-stage breast cancer https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK447121/

@monical, you raise some valid concerns. When your doctor prescribed anastrozole for you, did you have time to tell her about your concerns or are they coming up now as you learn more about possible side effects? Maybe it would be a good idea to schedule an appointment to get your concerns addressed before starting.