Dr Roach: Debilitating menstrual pain might be due to endometriosis

One approach to hormone therapy is to stop the hormones from attaching to the receptors on the cancer cells. When the hormones can’t access the cancer cells, the cancer’s growth may slow and the cells may die. If your cancer has spread to other parts of your body, hormone therapy for breast cancer may help control it. Hormone therapy is only used for breast cancers that are found to have receptors for the naturally occurring hormones estrogen or progesterone. After you get a recommended treatment plan from your health care team, study your treatment options.

Age-Related Testosterone Decrease

Several estrogen blocker medications used to treat the imbalance of testosterone to estrogen were initially developed for use in treating female breast cancer. The researchers recommend weighing the benefits of aromatase inhibitors compared with tamoxifen against these possible risks. But the hormone is still made in other areas of the body, mostly in fat cells. That may be why weight gain is such a key risk factor for breast cancer after menopause.

More in Breast Cancer

Possible side effects of aromatase inhibitors include muscle pain, joint pain and menopausal symptoms (such as hot flashes). Aromatase inhibitors are a hormone therapy (also called endocrine therapy). They are used to treat hormone receptor-positive early, locally advanced and metastatic breast cancers.

This means that less estrogen is available to stimulate the growth of estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer cells, slowing or inhibiting the progression of these cancers. But high estrogen levels may increase your risk of developing ER-positive breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors block the enzyme aromatase, which turns other hormones into estrogen. By reducing your estrogen levels, aromatase inhibitors keep cancerous cells from growing and spreading.

When an aromatase inhibitor is taken after tamoxifen, the drugs are taken for a combined total of 5-10 years. I could have gotten the surgery and spared myself years of agonizing pain. Did I explain myself incorrectly all those times when talking to the doctors? It’s too late for me (thankfully, I’m past all that), but please help us learn how to talk to our doctors to get through to them. These are not your garden-variety cramps that can be treated with Midol. Testosterone typically decreases in the body as males get older, referred to as late-onset hypogonadism.

• While research findings are mixed, there is some evidence that testosterone therapy may decrease estrogen levels in males.
• When an aromatase inhibitor is taken after tamoxifen, the drugs are taken for a combined total of 5-10 years.
• The diagnosis is often supported by an ultrasound, not usually by surgery at first.
• If you’re taking an aromatase inhibitor, ask your healthcare provider about ways to reduce side effects so you can continue treatment that helps you live free of breast cancer.

Aromatase inhibitors only work in post-menopausal women, but tamoxifen and raloxifene work in both pre- and post-menopausal women. Clinical trials have shown that aromatase inhibitors are about 30% more effective https://ffbox.es/blog/study-shows-how-steroids-can-enhance-performance/ in preventing breast cancer recurrence than tamoxifen or raloxifene. For that reason, aromatase inhibitors are the preferred treatment for post-menopausal women with estrogen-fueled breast cancers.

Aromatase inhibitors are delivered in tablet form and prescribed as a once-daily dose. Aromasin should be taken after a meal as fat in food aids in the drug’s absorption. You may qualify for programs that help with drug costs or offer low-cost or free prescriptions. You’ll get a baseline measure of your bone density so changes in your bone density can be monitored.