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DianneS · 06-13-2009, 07:17 PM

Hi ladies,

It seems like I make one decision about drug regimen only to be faced with yet another. ARRGGHH!!!!

How many of you are weakly ER receptive (positive) yet are taking an AI? My onc recommended Arimidex for 5 YEARS.

The risks from reading about this on pubmed seems, to me, to outweigh the benefits.

Increase in head and neck cancers as well as lung cancers is reported with anastrozole (arimidex). A notable increase.

But mainly I'd like to know if any of you ladies are taking an AI such as Arimidex and are weakly ER +. This to me sounds like the AI would only 'get' a small portion of any estrogens floating around and in five years or so I'd be facing yet another type of cancer.
Did anyone decide NOT to take AI's? I'd like to hear your reasons pro and con,

Thank you,
Diannes
6 more Herceptins to go............then maybe 5 yrs of Arimidex. And I thought I was done! Blah.

06-13-2009, 07:17 PM	#1
DianneS Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 327	Aromatase Inhibitor and weakly ER+ Hi ladies, It seems like I make one decision about drug regimen only to be faced with yet another. ARRGGHH!!!! How many of you are weakly ER receptive (positive) yet are taking an AI? My onc recommended Arimidex for 5 YEARS. The risks from reading about this on pubmed seems, to me, to outweigh the benefits. Increase in head and neck cancers as well as lung cancers is reported with anastrozole (arimidex). A notable increase. But mainly I'd like to know if any of you ladies are taking an AI such as Arimidex and are weakly ER +. This to me sounds like the AI would only 'get' a small portion of any estrogens floating around and in five years or so I'd be facing yet another type of cancer. Did anyone decide NOT to take AI's? I'd like to hear your reasons pro and con, Thank you, Diannes 6 more Herceptins to go............then maybe 5 yrs of Arimidex. And I thought I was done! Blah. __________________ Three years and 5 months NED Dx: Aug 2008 right breast IDC with 50% of tumor DCIS, Stage II or IIA, tumor size: 2.1 cm Grade 3 8/9 Richardson/Bloom test ER+ weakly positive Alred Score: 4 (suggesting I would strongly benefit from hormone therapy) PR-, HER2 positive +++ No vascular invasion No lymph nodes involved Surgery: Sept. 9, 2008 -Modified radical mastectomy, right breast. I chose to have a simple mastectomy on the left. Began Taxotere/Carboplatin/Herceptin November, 2008. Finished T/C March 2009. Finished #16 Herceptin Sept. 09. AI's and Tamoxifen made me sick. Began natural Tamoxifen which is Quercetin, I3C and a combo of other supplements. I am also a DES Daughter. There is now a link between DES exposure in utero and breast cancer!