exemestane

It is important to understand that exemestane is not a traditional chemotherapy drug and has a different way of working. It works by reducing hormones which stops the cancer cells growing and spreading. The treatment schedule below explains how the drug for this treatment is given.

Aromasin (exemestane) is a prescription drug that’s used to treat certain types of breast cancer. Aromasin can cause side effects that range from mild to serious. Examples include weight gain and hair loss.

Alcohol should be avoided or limited while taking aromatase inhibitors, as alcohol consumption may decrease the efficacy of this medication. Avoid grapefruit juice and particularly the specific class of Seville or “bitter” oranges, as they can interfere with the efficacy of exemestane.

This medicine may decrease bone mineral density when used for a long time. A low bone mineral density can cause weak bones or osteoporosis. If you have any questions about this, talk to your doctor.

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to make sure that this medicine is working properly. Blood tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects. It is important for women to have regular gynecologic check-ups while taking this medicine.

Exemestane may also make you feel sick (nausea) or be sick (vomiting). These symptoms usually improve or become easier to manage over time.

Liver injury attributed to exemestane is usually mild and self-limited, ranging in severity from transient, asymptomatic serum enzyme elevations to mild clinically apparent acute liver injury.

Exemestane has an average rating of 5.1 out of 10 from a total of 115 ratings on Drugs.com. 26% of reviewers reported a positive effect, while 34% reported a negative effect. Letrozole has an average rating of 6.5 out of 10 from a total of 353 ratings on Drugs.com.

The recommended length of time that exemestane is taken for will depend on your individual situation. People being treated for primary breast cancer will usually take exemestane for five to ten years. Some people start taking exemestane after a few years of taking the hormone therapy drug tamoxifen.

Some people worry about stopping their treatment, but there’s evidence that exemestane continues to reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back for many years after you stop taking it. However, not taking the drug for the recommended time may increase the risk of your breast cancer coming back.

Wear sunscreen and protective clothing and try to minimize sun exposure. Drink plenty of fluids. (Patients should ask their physician about the amount of liquid to consume during a day.) Eat small meals frequently to help alleviate nausea.

Why is exemestane so expensive? The cost of exemestane may be expensive for you based on different factors. These include your treatment plan, your insurance coverage, and the pharmacy you use. Exemestane may be more expensive than similar breast cancer medications, such as letrozole.

At 3 years of follow-up, women who took exemestane were 65 percent less likely than women who took a placebo to develop breast cancer.

Exemestane blocks the process of aromatisation. So it lowers the amount of oestrogen in the body. In early breast cancer, taking exemestane can help to stop breast cancer coming back. In advanced breast cancer, the cancer cells may grow more slowly or stop growing completely.

Aromasin (exemestane) is a prescription drug that’s used to treat certain types of breast cancer. Aromasin can cause side effects that range from mild to serious. Examples include weight gain and hair loss.

The recommended length of time that exemestane is taken for will depend on your individual situation. People being treated for primary breast cancer will usually take exemestane for five to ten years. Some people start taking exemestane after a few years of taking the hormone therapy drug tamoxifen.

After 1 year of adjuvant therapy, tamoxifen use is associated with statistically significant lower functioning in verbal memory and executive functioning, whereas exemestane use is not associated with statistically significant lower cognitive functioning in postmenopausal patients with BC.

The acute drop in estrogen produced by aromatase inhibition is the most likely underlying mechanism for joint symptoms. That hypothesis is supported by the observation that backaches, joint pains, and stiffness are commonly experienced among peri- and postmenopausal women in the general population 8.

When you start to take exemestane, you may feel tired, drowsy, or feel like you have no energy. Try to pace yourself until this improves. It is important to strike the correct balance between getting enough rest and staying physically active. Taking short walks regularly will help you feel less tired.

Whereas tamoxifen interferes with the ability of breast cancer cells to use estrogen for growth, exemestane interferes with the body’s ability to make estrogen. Exemestane inactivates the enzyme aromatase, which the body uses to make estrogen.

Tamoxifen can increase the risk of endometrial abnormalities, including uterine polyps and endometrial cancers. In this analysis, the five-year incidence of endometrial cancer was higher in the tamoxifen group (0.3%) compared with the aromatase inhibitor group (0.2%), but still rare overall.

The number of women reporting any adverse event was similar between anastrozole (1323 women, 91%) and tamoxifen (1379 women, 93%); the side-effect profiles of the two drugs differed, with more fractures, musculoskeletal events, hypercholesterolaemia, and strokes with anastrozole and more muscle spasm, gynaecological …

Is there a difference between letrozole, anastrozole and exemestane? All 3 aromatase inhibitor drugs have similar effects and no one drug is better than another. If you have been offered an aromatase inhibitor, your specialist will explain why they have recommended that particular drug.

As first-line treatment, once daily exemestane 25 mg elicited objective and overall success rates of 42 and 58%, compared with 16 and 31% for once daily tamoxifen 20 mg. Exemestane was generally well tolerated in clinical trials at once daily dosages up to 600 mg.

The recommended length of time that exemestane is taken for will depend on your individual situation. People being treated for primary breast cancer will usually take exemestane for five to ten years. Some people start taking exemestane after a few years of taking the hormone therapy drug tamoxifen.

Some people worry about stopping their treatment, but there’s evidence that exemestane continues to reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back for many years after you stop taking it. However, not taking the drug for the recommended time may increase the risk of your breast cancer coming back.

One small study suggests that exemestane may be more likely to cause high cholesterol compared to anastrozole. On the flip side, anastrozole may be more damaging to bone health than exemestane. Taking AIs can sometimes also cause liver enzymes (liver proteins) to rise — a potential sign of liver damage.

Vaginal bleeding can happen in the first few weeks after starting exemestane. It most commonly occurs when changing from one hormone therapy to another. This may also be due to vaginal dryness. If the bleeding continues for more than a few days, tell your specialist.

End-of-life considerations Median overall survival was less than 24 months. The committee was aware that the mean life expectancy would exceed the median life expectancy. The committee noted that the median overall survival for people receiving exemestane alone was 26.6 months in BOLERO‑2.

Exemestane is usually well tolerated and serious side effects are rare. Side effects are listed in the following table in the order in which they may occur.

Taking hormone therapy such as tamoxifen, anastrozole (Arimidex), exemestane (Aromasin) or letrozole (Femara) can cause hair thinning. This is usually mild and might only be for a short time. However, in some cases it can continue until treatment ends, which may be many years.

In general, complete hair loss does not occur with aromatase inhibitors like Femara; however, hair thinning has been reported. Other aromatase inhibitors (AIs) includes drugs such as anastrozole (Arimidex) and exemestane (Aromasin). Estrogen loss due to these products may lead to hair thinning or hair loss.

Nausea is usually mild, but tell your doctor or nurse if this happens. Try to take your exemestane pills with food or at night. Letrozole can also cause indigestion or abdominal pain.

The exemestane group did not demonstrate a decline in any cognitive domain and was associated with a ST improvement in information progression speed compared with controls.