HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Switching from Tamoxifen to an Aromotase Inhibitor

Becky · 11-17-2006, 07:42 PM

Doctors recommend the following based only upon trial results.

1. If you are postmenopausal and newly diagnosed, they recommend Arimidex due to the trial that compared tamoxifen to arimidex (half the women got tamoxifen and the other half arimidex). Arimidex was much better at reducing recurrence rate than tamoxifen.

2. The "switch" trials. One trial had all the women take tamoxifen and at 2-3 years out, half were switched to Arimidex and the other half stayed on Tamoxifen. Those on Arimidex did better. There was another trial that did exactly the same thing but it used Aromosin instead of Arimidex. In both trials, if you were switched to the AI, you did better than if you stayed on Tamoxifen.

3. There was a trial that all the women took Tamoxifen for 5 years. After that half took nothing and the other half took 5 years of Femara. The women who continued on Femara did better.

So, oncs tend to prescribe the drugs if you fall into the categories above of which there were trials. However, all drugs are on the market and we all know that they are prescibed differently than their FDA approved use.

My initial thoughts are that they are similar/equal as there is absolutely no real data in early bc which is better and IMHO, I think there will not be any statistical difference when the early results of the trial are released (I don't know when that is even though my cousin is in the Arimidex arm).

Hope this helps

11-17-2006, 07:42 PM	#6
Becky Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Stockton, NJ Posts: 4,179	More Doctors recommend the following based only upon trial results. 1. If you are postmenopausal and newly diagnosed, they recommend Arimidex due to the trial that compared tamoxifen to arimidex (half the women got tamoxifen and the other half arimidex). Arimidex was much better at reducing recurrence rate than tamoxifen. 2. The "switch" trials. One trial had all the women take tamoxifen and at 2-3 years out, half were switched to Arimidex and the other half stayed on Tamoxifen. Those on Arimidex did better. There was another trial that did exactly the same thing but it used Aromosin instead of Arimidex. In both trials, if you were switched to the AI, you did better than if you stayed on Tamoxifen. 3. There was a trial that all the women took Tamoxifen for 5 years. After that half took nothing and the other half took 5 years of Femara. The women who continued on Femara did better. So, oncs tend to prescribe the drugs if you fall into the categories above of which there were trials. However, all drugs are on the market and we all know that they are prescibed differently than their FDA approved use. My initial thoughts are that they are similar/equal as there is absolutely no real data in early bc which is better and IMHO, I think there will not be any statistical difference when the early results of the trial are released (I don't know when that is even though my cousin is in the Arimidex arm). Hope this helps __________________ Kind regards Becky Found lump via BSE Diagnosed 8/04 at age 45 1.9cm tumor, ER+PR-, Her2 3+(rt side) 2 micromets to sentinel node Stage 2A left 3mm DCIS - low grade ER+PR+Her2 neg lumpectomies 9/7/04 4DD AC followed by 4 DD taxol Used Leukine instead of Neulasta 35 rads on right side only 4/05 started Tamoxifen Started Herceptin 4 months after last Taxol due to trial results and 2005 ASCO meeting & recommendations Oophorectomy 8/05 Started Arimidex 9/05 Finished Herceptin (16 months) 9/06 Arimidex Only Prolia every 6 months for osteopenia NED 18 years! Said Christopher Robin to Pooh: "You must remember this: You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think"