tomoxifin vs. arimedex?
dully206-03-2003, 07:34 PMMy mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in February. She is finishing her radiation soon. Does anyone have any experience with tomoxifin or arimedex? Arimedex is the newer drug. She is trying to decide between the two. Seems there are good and bad points for both. Thanks for any info you may have.
[This message has been edited by dully2 (edited 06-04-2003).]klayr06-04-2003, 01:13 AMI am on Arimidex, which my oncologist says is very effective. Tamoxifen has certain side effects that were a concern for me. The first one was that I had had a pulmonary embolism right after my cancer surgery. If you have a higher risk for that, Arimidex is better. Also, Tamoxifen is rougher on people with heart-related problems. How old is your mom? Is her general health good? Another factor, of course, is what type of tumor she had, and if she is postmenopausal. Arimidex will only be prescribed if she has gone through menopause. Hope this is helpful.dully206-04-2003, 02:01 PMMy mom is post menopausal. She did not have any complications. Have you had any side effects with Arimidex and how long do you have to take it? Thanks!klayr06-04-2003, 04:57 PMHi! Hope your mom is doing well with her treatment. I am going to take Arimidex for five years, and I think that's standard for both drugs. I'm not a doctor, so don't quote me on that. I have a friend who's on Tamoxifen, and she does well on it. I think both drugs (only knowing my story and hers) are similar in side effects: hot flashes, a little fatigue, but generally, life as normal after about a week's worth of adjusting. I got a little nausea for the first week or so, but then I settled in. One thing my oncologist did say was that Arimidex works especially well on microcalicifications on the unaffected side. We'll see, because they just discovered some on me. I'll be curious to find out how well.dully206-04-2003, 07:12 PMMy mom's story is interesting to say the least. After having a biopsy and lumpectomy on the right side, they detected an area in her other breast. Two radiologists thought is was nothing, a third said it was suspicious. She ended up having surgery and it was cancerous. All lymphs were negative and both areas were small. So she is currently having radiation to both breasts. We have no family history of breast cancer, so we are learning as we go. My mom is 65. How old are you? Thanks for writing back. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
[This message has been edited by dully2 (edited 06-04-2003).]dully206-04-2003, 07:19 PMOne other thing that is coming into play is cost. Arimidex is significantly more expensive. I guess it depends on insurance coverage as to the co pay. In the grand scheme of things, money is no object if it is the drug of choice.klayr06-04-2003, 09:59 PMHi, Dully. I'm 41. Your mom is lucky, because they seem to have caught it early. How are her radiation treatments going? They can be pretty brutal on the skin. As far as the cost is concerned, it's true that if you need it, you need it. But still, it can be pretty overwhelming. Hang in there. Eventually your mom will start to feel better. Make sure that you get your mammograms regularly. There's a high survival rate these days. Good luck to you both.dully206-04-2003, 10:10 PMI am 40 and just had my first mammogram. The results were fine. Did you find your cancer through a mammogram? How are you doing? I hope all is well with you. How long ago were you diagnosed? My mom is doing well with the radiation. She has 7 treatments left and her skin is in good condition, thank heavens!!Thanks for responding. dully http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif
[This message has been edited by dully2 (edited 06-04-2003).]klayr06-05-2003, 06:05 AMI was diagnosed in 01. My hair is finally coming back now and thank goodness it isn't white like they said it would be. No, I didn't find my tumors by mammogram because I was 39 when I was diagnosed and I wasn't scheduled to have one until months later. I had three tumors, all more than 2 cm, and I had 10 positive nodes. Right now, I'm in remission, and God willing, it'll stay that way. Thanks for asking. Mighty nice of ya!dully206-05-2003, 09:46 AMHi Klayr! Glad to hear you are in remission. There are so many stories about people with breast cancer. I think what I find so encouraging, is that once you or someone you know has it, so many people say "I had it so many years ago." That is very hopeful for me. Just today a lady I work with told me she was diagnosed 11 years ago. I had no idea. I will keep you in my thoughts. My sister and I recently participated in our local Race for the Cure. It was a very moving experience for me. Next year we are getting the whole family involved. Take Care!!! dully
[This message has been edited by dully2 (edited 06-05-2003).]
[This message has been edited by dully2 (edited 06-05-2003).]Kalie06-09-2003, 04:06 PMHi dully,
I am 26 and have been on Tamoxifen for 6 months. (My breast cancer was diagnosed last year.) I have had no negative side effects whatsoever. There is a generic version of Tamoxifen available, so if your mom doesn't have a great Rx plan, you may want to consider that. Hope this helps!dully206-09-2003, 04:38 PMHi Kalie,
Thanks for the response. My mom is on a Medicare type insurance coverage and cost is a factor. I think she will go with whichever drug has the least side effects. She finishes her radiation this week, so we are thrilled with that. She has done remarkably well. Are you doing OK? Thanks for the info.
dully http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/round.gifKalie06-12-2003, 01:58 PMI'm doing very well -- thanks for asking. My 6 month post-op check-up was great, so I can't complain!cyclemnr06-28-2003, 08:27 AMI am considering volunteering myself for a human research for osteoporosis. One of the drugs is Evista, and another experiencial drug (unknown to me)
is in the drug class of Tomoxifin. I've never taken either of these drugs....can any of you give me the side effects ? I have no health challenges known to me now and post menopausal and have female organs.Kalie06-30-2003, 03:37 PMTomoxifen prevents cells from absorbing estrogen, so it can cause menopause-like symptoms. If you're post-menopausal, I'm not sure if you would experience side-effects of not -- it seems like you wouldn't.amphigory06-30-2003, 09:20 PMHey--I'm not a breast cancer survivor, but I am a cancer biology/pharmacology student, so here's my few cents:
Tamoxifen is an estrogen analogue. In breast tissue, it acts as an anti-estrogen--it binds to the estrogen receptor, preventing estrogen from binding. Since estrogen is a mitogen in ER-positive cancers, tamoxifen treatment helps kill the cells. However, in all other tissues, tamoxifen has estrogenic activity--this is why there is a (low) risk of uterine cancers associated with tamoxifen use, and it also explains some of the other side effects.
Evista (raloxifene) is another estrogen analogue that's in trials as a cancer therapy. It was originally used in therapy for osteoporosis, as estrogen helps prevent loss of bone matter. The advantage that Evista seems to have over tamoxifen is that it has no estrogenic activity in uterine tissue, so there should be no increase in the risk of uterine cancers. I don't know if there's a difference in the side effects--it might be worthwhile to find someone who's taken it for osteoporosis and see what they think.amphigory06-30-2003, 09:22 PMHey--I'm not a breast cancer survivor, but I am a cancer biology/pharmacology student, so here's my few cents:
Tamoxifen is an estrogen analogue. In breast tissue, it acts as an anti-estrogen--it binds to the estrogen receptor, preventing estrogen from binding. Since estrogen is a mitogen in ER-positive cancers, tamoxifen treatment helps kill the cells. However, in all other tissues, tamoxifen has estrogenic activity--this is why there is a (low) risk of uterine cancers associated with tamoxifen use, and it also explains some of the other side effects.
Evista (raloxifene) is another estrogen analogue that's in trials as a cancer therapy. It was originally used in therapy for osteoporosis, as estrogen helps prevent loss of bone matter. The advantage that Evista seems to have over tamoxifen is that it has no estrogenic activity in uterine tissue, so there should be no increase in the risk of uterine cancers. I don't know if there's a difference in the side effects--it might be worthwhile to find someone who's taken it for osteoporosis and see what they think.amphigory06-30-2003, 09:25 PMHey--I'm not a breast cancer survivor, but I am a cancer biology/pharmacology student, so here's my few cents:
Tamoxifen is an estrogen analogue. In breast tissue, it acts as an anti-estrogen--it binds to the estrogen receptor, preventing estrogen from binding. Since estrogen is a mitogen in ER-positive cancers, tamoxifen treatment helps kill the cells. However, in all other tissues, tamoxifen has estrogenic activity--this is why there is a (low) risk of uterine cancers associated with tamoxifen use, and it also explains some of the other side effects.
Evista (raloxifene) is another estrogen analogue that's in trials as a cancer therapy. It was originally used in therapy for osteoporosis, as estrogen helps prevent loss of bone matter. The advantage that Evista seems to have over tamoxifen is that it has no estrogenic activity in uterine tissue, so there should be no increase in the risk of uterine cancers. I don't know if there's a difference in the side effects--it might be worthwhile to find someone who's taken it for osteoporosis and see what they think.kathym10907-07-2003, 10:27 PMI was diagnosed with breast cancer in January I am 46 year old Chemo stopped my periods. Today my doctor prescribed Arimidex for me. I am wondering if becasue my periods stopped in Feb that qualifies me as post menopausal. Any thoughtsklayr07-08-2003, 04:11 PMHi, Kathy! I'm sorry about your cancer. I hope the treatments are giving you too hard of a time. Arimidex is only effective in post-menopausal women. Your doc must have decided that that's what you were with a blood test during your usual lab workup. I've been on Arimidex for quite some time. Good luck to you!dully207-10-2003, 04:03 PMHello All,
My mom's doctor prescribed Tomoxifen for her. She has been taking it for a few weeks now with no side effects as of yet. She did ask him about Arimidex. His suggestion was to go with the Tomoxifen. In post menopausal women, I am not sure how they decide between the two drugs. Just an update. Hope everyone is doing well.
dully2bks4al07-12-2003, 11:19 AMI had a massectomy in 2000 with lymphnodes removed. I wasn't given radiation or any continuing drugs like arimidex or tomoxifin after completing chemo. Over the last several mths Spots were found in both my lungs and during a vist to a pulmonary dr. he expressed his surprise that I wasn't receiving tomoxifin. He said he would check with my onocologist. Any suggestions on what to ask as a follow up on this. Thanks for any suggestions.klayr07-13-2003, 08:03 AMWow! How awful for you! Did you regularly see your oncologist? Have you asked why you weren't given anything? Did you ever speak to anyone else who had gone through breast cancer treatments? How about this question: Do you have the name of a good lawyer!!!bks4al07-17-2003, 02:31 AMKaylar I have been seeing my onocologist regularly. She is the one who sent me to the pulminory dr. after my regular chest scan and pet scan came back showing the 2nd lung with spots. For the moment neither dr seems to think its cancerous. I have made an additional appointment with the onocologist to follow up on the ? why I never received follow up drug therapy. My concern is -what type of ? to ask as evidently I didn't know to ask about drugs before.Do most women w breast cancer receive additional drugs?klayr07-18-2003, 05:21 AMHi Bks4al. As far as I know, it is the standard protocol for women to receive ongoing meds for several years after breast cancer. I personally am on Arimidex, a great number of others are on Tamoxifen, etc... I had a friend who had a teeny, tiny tumor (less than one centimeter). She opted for a mastectomy, which was probably extreme, but she didn't want to deal with it at all. And even she is on Tamoxifen. Good luck to you. My suggestion is that you do some research now. Take your treatment into your own hands. It's never a bad thing to be on top of things.naturalmeddoc07-21-2003, 08:57 PMBks4al-- Check to see if you had estrogen negative or positive breast cancer. some oncologists do not prescribe tamoxifen when the cancer is estrogen negative (although tamoxifen is effective in 15% of estrogen negative cases). if you had estrogen positive cancer, you should have been offered tamoxifen-- no question, it was standard of care in 2000.
To All-- regarding Arimedex versus Tamoxifen: It has been shown in large studies that arimedex is superior to tamoxifen in prolonging time until relapse as well as overall survival in women who are no longer menstruating. this has to do with the two very different mechanisms of the drugs. Tamoxifen targets the estrogen receptors on the cells themselves, arimedex blocks the production of estrogen in peripheral tissues (mostly fat cells). In post-menopausal women, estrogen is still made-- just not by the ovaries and not in the quantities the ovaries can produce. oncologists don't change their ways very easily. this is the only reason i can think of that they are still prescribing tamoxifen in women who are no longer menstruating.
hope this helps.
[This message has been edited by dully2 (edited 06-04-2003).]klayr06-04-2003, 01:13 AMI am on Arimidex, which my oncologist says is very effective. Tamoxifen has certain side effects that were a concern for me. The first one was that I had had a pulmonary embolism right after my cancer surgery. If you have a higher risk for that, Arimidex is better. Also, Tamoxifen is rougher on people with heart-related problems. How old is your mom? Is her general health good? Another factor, of course, is what type of tumor she had, and if she is postmenopausal. Arimidex will only be prescribed if she has gone through menopause. Hope this is helpful.dully206-04-2003, 02:01 PMMy mom is post menopausal. She did not have any complications. Have you had any side effects with Arimidex and how long do you have to take it? Thanks!klayr06-04-2003, 04:57 PMHi! Hope your mom is doing well with her treatment. I am going to take Arimidex for five years, and I think that's standard for both drugs. I'm not a doctor, so don't quote me on that. I have a friend who's on Tamoxifen, and she does well on it. I think both drugs (only knowing my story and hers) are similar in side effects: hot flashes, a little fatigue, but generally, life as normal after about a week's worth of adjusting. I got a little nausea for the first week or so, but then I settled in. One thing my oncologist did say was that Arimidex works especially well on microcalicifications on the unaffected side. We'll see, because they just discovered some on me. I'll be curious to find out how well.dully206-04-2003, 07:12 PMMy mom's story is interesting to say the least. After having a biopsy and lumpectomy on the right side, they detected an area in her other breast. Two radiologists thought is was nothing, a third said it was suspicious. She ended up having surgery and it was cancerous. All lymphs were negative and both areas were small. So she is currently having radiation to both breasts. We have no family history of breast cancer, so we are learning as we go. My mom is 65. How old are you? Thanks for writing back. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
[This message has been edited by dully2 (edited 06-04-2003).]dully206-04-2003, 07:19 PMOne other thing that is coming into play is cost. Arimidex is significantly more expensive. I guess it depends on insurance coverage as to the co pay. In the grand scheme of things, money is no object if it is the drug of choice.klayr06-04-2003, 09:59 PMHi, Dully. I'm 41. Your mom is lucky, because they seem to have caught it early. How are her radiation treatments going? They can be pretty brutal on the skin. As far as the cost is concerned, it's true that if you need it, you need it. But still, it can be pretty overwhelming. Hang in there. Eventually your mom will start to feel better. Make sure that you get your mammograms regularly. There's a high survival rate these days. Good luck to you both.dully206-04-2003, 10:10 PMI am 40 and just had my first mammogram. The results were fine. Did you find your cancer through a mammogram? How are you doing? I hope all is well with you. How long ago were you diagnosed? My mom is doing well with the radiation. She has 7 treatments left and her skin is in good condition, thank heavens!!Thanks for responding. dully http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif
[This message has been edited by dully2 (edited 06-04-2003).]klayr06-05-2003, 06:05 AMI was diagnosed in 01. My hair is finally coming back now and thank goodness it isn't white like they said it would be. No, I didn't find my tumors by mammogram because I was 39 when I was diagnosed and I wasn't scheduled to have one until months later. I had three tumors, all more than 2 cm, and I had 10 positive nodes. Right now, I'm in remission, and God willing, it'll stay that way. Thanks for asking. Mighty nice of ya!dully206-05-2003, 09:46 AMHi Klayr! Glad to hear you are in remission. There are so many stories about people with breast cancer. I think what I find so encouraging, is that once you or someone you know has it, so many people say "I had it so many years ago." That is very hopeful for me. Just today a lady I work with told me she was diagnosed 11 years ago. I had no idea. I will keep you in my thoughts. My sister and I recently participated in our local Race for the Cure. It was a very moving experience for me. Next year we are getting the whole family involved. Take Care!!! dully
[This message has been edited by dully2 (edited 06-05-2003).]
[This message has been edited by dully2 (edited 06-05-2003).]Kalie06-09-2003, 04:06 PMHi dully,
I am 26 and have been on Tamoxifen for 6 months. (My breast cancer was diagnosed last year.) I have had no negative side effects whatsoever. There is a generic version of Tamoxifen available, so if your mom doesn't have a great Rx plan, you may want to consider that. Hope this helps!dully206-09-2003, 04:38 PMHi Kalie,
Thanks for the response. My mom is on a Medicare type insurance coverage and cost is a factor. I think she will go with whichever drug has the least side effects. She finishes her radiation this week, so we are thrilled with that. She has done remarkably well. Are you doing OK? Thanks for the info.
dully http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/round.gifKalie06-12-2003, 01:58 PMI'm doing very well -- thanks for asking. My 6 month post-op check-up was great, so I can't complain!cyclemnr06-28-2003, 08:27 AMI am considering volunteering myself for a human research for osteoporosis. One of the drugs is Evista, and another experiencial drug (unknown to me)
is in the drug class of Tomoxifin. I've never taken either of these drugs....can any of you give me the side effects ? I have no health challenges known to me now and post menopausal and have female organs.Kalie06-30-2003, 03:37 PMTomoxifen prevents cells from absorbing estrogen, so it can cause menopause-like symptoms. If you're post-menopausal, I'm not sure if you would experience side-effects of not -- it seems like you wouldn't.amphigory06-30-2003, 09:20 PMHey--I'm not a breast cancer survivor, but I am a cancer biology/pharmacology student, so here's my few cents:
Tamoxifen is an estrogen analogue. In breast tissue, it acts as an anti-estrogen--it binds to the estrogen receptor, preventing estrogen from binding. Since estrogen is a mitogen in ER-positive cancers, tamoxifen treatment helps kill the cells. However, in all other tissues, tamoxifen has estrogenic activity--this is why there is a (low) risk of uterine cancers associated with tamoxifen use, and it also explains some of the other side effects.
Evista (raloxifene) is another estrogen analogue that's in trials as a cancer therapy. It was originally used in therapy for osteoporosis, as estrogen helps prevent loss of bone matter. The advantage that Evista seems to have over tamoxifen is that it has no estrogenic activity in uterine tissue, so there should be no increase in the risk of uterine cancers. I don't know if there's a difference in the side effects--it might be worthwhile to find someone who's taken it for osteoporosis and see what they think.amphigory06-30-2003, 09:22 PMHey--I'm not a breast cancer survivor, but I am a cancer biology/pharmacology student, so here's my few cents:
Tamoxifen is an estrogen analogue. In breast tissue, it acts as an anti-estrogen--it binds to the estrogen receptor, preventing estrogen from binding. Since estrogen is a mitogen in ER-positive cancers, tamoxifen treatment helps kill the cells. However, in all other tissues, tamoxifen has estrogenic activity--this is why there is a (low) risk of uterine cancers associated with tamoxifen use, and it also explains some of the other side effects.
Evista (raloxifene) is another estrogen analogue that's in trials as a cancer therapy. It was originally used in therapy for osteoporosis, as estrogen helps prevent loss of bone matter. The advantage that Evista seems to have over tamoxifen is that it has no estrogenic activity in uterine tissue, so there should be no increase in the risk of uterine cancers. I don't know if there's a difference in the side effects--it might be worthwhile to find someone who's taken it for osteoporosis and see what they think.amphigory06-30-2003, 09:25 PMHey--I'm not a breast cancer survivor, but I am a cancer biology/pharmacology student, so here's my few cents:
Tamoxifen is an estrogen analogue. In breast tissue, it acts as an anti-estrogen--it binds to the estrogen receptor, preventing estrogen from binding. Since estrogen is a mitogen in ER-positive cancers, tamoxifen treatment helps kill the cells. However, in all other tissues, tamoxifen has estrogenic activity--this is why there is a (low) risk of uterine cancers associated with tamoxifen use, and it also explains some of the other side effects.
Evista (raloxifene) is another estrogen analogue that's in trials as a cancer therapy. It was originally used in therapy for osteoporosis, as estrogen helps prevent loss of bone matter. The advantage that Evista seems to have over tamoxifen is that it has no estrogenic activity in uterine tissue, so there should be no increase in the risk of uterine cancers. I don't know if there's a difference in the side effects--it might be worthwhile to find someone who's taken it for osteoporosis and see what they think.kathym10907-07-2003, 10:27 PMI was diagnosed with breast cancer in January I am 46 year old Chemo stopped my periods. Today my doctor prescribed Arimidex for me. I am wondering if becasue my periods stopped in Feb that qualifies me as post menopausal. Any thoughtsklayr07-08-2003, 04:11 PMHi, Kathy! I'm sorry about your cancer. I hope the treatments are giving you too hard of a time. Arimidex is only effective in post-menopausal women. Your doc must have decided that that's what you were with a blood test during your usual lab workup. I've been on Arimidex for quite some time. Good luck to you!dully207-10-2003, 04:03 PMHello All,
My mom's doctor prescribed Tomoxifen for her. She has been taking it for a few weeks now with no side effects as of yet. She did ask him about Arimidex. His suggestion was to go with the Tomoxifen. In post menopausal women, I am not sure how they decide between the two drugs. Just an update. Hope everyone is doing well.
dully2bks4al07-12-2003, 11:19 AMI had a massectomy in 2000 with lymphnodes removed. I wasn't given radiation or any continuing drugs like arimidex or tomoxifin after completing chemo. Over the last several mths Spots were found in both my lungs and during a vist to a pulmonary dr. he expressed his surprise that I wasn't receiving tomoxifin. He said he would check with my onocologist. Any suggestions on what to ask as a follow up on this. Thanks for any suggestions.klayr07-13-2003, 08:03 AMWow! How awful for you! Did you regularly see your oncologist? Have you asked why you weren't given anything? Did you ever speak to anyone else who had gone through breast cancer treatments? How about this question: Do you have the name of a good lawyer!!!bks4al07-17-2003, 02:31 AMKaylar I have been seeing my onocologist regularly. She is the one who sent me to the pulminory dr. after my regular chest scan and pet scan came back showing the 2nd lung with spots. For the moment neither dr seems to think its cancerous. I have made an additional appointment with the onocologist to follow up on the ? why I never received follow up drug therapy. My concern is -what type of ? to ask as evidently I didn't know to ask about drugs before.Do most women w breast cancer receive additional drugs?klayr07-18-2003, 05:21 AMHi Bks4al. As far as I know, it is the standard protocol for women to receive ongoing meds for several years after breast cancer. I personally am on Arimidex, a great number of others are on Tamoxifen, etc... I had a friend who had a teeny, tiny tumor (less than one centimeter). She opted for a mastectomy, which was probably extreme, but she didn't want to deal with it at all. And even she is on Tamoxifen. Good luck to you. My suggestion is that you do some research now. Take your treatment into your own hands. It's never a bad thing to be on top of things.naturalmeddoc07-21-2003, 08:57 PMBks4al-- Check to see if you had estrogen negative or positive breast cancer. some oncologists do not prescribe tamoxifen when the cancer is estrogen negative (although tamoxifen is effective in 15% of estrogen negative cases). if you had estrogen positive cancer, you should have been offered tamoxifen-- no question, it was standard of care in 2000.
To All-- regarding Arimedex versus Tamoxifen: It has been shown in large studies that arimedex is superior to tamoxifen in prolonging time until relapse as well as overall survival in women who are no longer menstruating. this has to do with the two very different mechanisms of the drugs. Tamoxifen targets the estrogen receptors on the cells themselves, arimedex blocks the production of estrogen in peripheral tissues (mostly fat cells). In post-menopausal women, estrogen is still made-- just not by the ovaries and not in the quantities the ovaries can produce. oncologists don't change their ways very easily. this is the only reason i can think of that they are still prescribing tamoxifen in women who are no longer menstruating.
hope this helps.