How long did you take letrozole for breast cancer

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Answer

Who should take letrozole for breast cancer?

It’s only prescribed in women whose breast cancer is hormone receptor positive. Letrozole is usually taken for five years, although some women take letrozole for five years after completing five years of the hormone therapy tamoxifen.

How long can you take letrozole?

This will depend on your individual circumstances, but letrozole is usually taken for five to ten years. Some people start taking letrozole after a few years of taking the hormone therapy drug tamoxifen.

How long should you take tamoxifen after letrozole?

In addition, 5 years of sequential treatment—either 2 years of letrozole followed by 3 years of tamoxifen or 2 years of tamoxifen followed by 3 years of letrozole—was not better than 5 years of letrozole alone at preventing recurrence or death.

How long can you live on letrozole (Femara)?

Treatment with aromatase inhibitors like letrozole (Femara) can extend the length of time for a breast cancer recurrence or breast cancer spreading in the body. In one study, over 70% of women had a disease-free survival period for up to 8 years.

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What happens after 5 years of taking letrozole?

An additional 5 years of letrozole resulted in a 34% reduction in the risk of recurrence, with no worsening of quality of life. No new side effects or emergent symptoms were reported with extending letrozole for another 5 years.

How long does it take letrozole to shrink a breast tumor?

Sixty percent of women taking letrozole showed tumor shrinkage after four months on the drug, whereas 41 percent of women taking tamoxifen showed tumor shrinkage. Patients taking letrozole also underwent fewer mastectomies (complete breast removal) than women who were taking tamoxifen.

What happens if I stop taking letrozole after 3 years?

Stopping letrozole Some people worry about stopping their treatment, but there’s evidence that letrozole 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.

Can breast cancer return while on letrozole?

17 trial was halted and letrozole offered, those who began letrozole therapy had only a 2 percent risk of tumor recurrence, compared with almost 5 percent in those choosing no treatment. The risk of death from breast cancer during that period was cut in half in those receiving letrozole.

What is the success rate of letrozole?

In the intention-to-treat analysis, women who received letrozole alone had a disease-free survival rate of 73.8 percent at 8 years, compared with a rate of 70.4 percent for women who received tamoxifen alone.

What are the long term side effects of letrozole?

Side effects that are more likely to take a few months to develop and persist long term include:blood changes, such as decreases in white blood cell counts or platelets.edema (swelling that usually affects your hands, feet, legs, or arms)hair loss.high cholesterol.More items…•

Should I continue to take letrozole after 5 years?

Most people will have adjuvant therapy for 5 years. However, sometimes your doctor will advise continuing it for longer. During this time you may be given letrozole only, or tamoxifen (a drug that can also be used to treat breast cancer) for a few years followed by letrozole for the remaining time.

Can letrozole affect your teeth?

Does letrozole cause teeth-related side effects? Teeth-related side effects weren’t reported with letrozole use during studies. Letrozole can cause bone pain and joint pain. If these affect your jaw, it’s possible the pain could spread and feel like tooth pain.

Is it OK to take a break from letrozole?

Safe pause Earlier tests on animals have shown that letrozole, following a break in the medication, can have a new and greater effect on the actual development of the cancer. The pause can possibly contribute towards a suppression of the resistance development that takes place during long-term treatment.

When are you considered cancer-free after breast cancer?

The cancer may come back to the same place as the original primary tumor or to another place in the body. If you remain in complete remission for five years or more, some doctors may say that you are cured, or cancer-free.

Which breast cancer is most likely to recur?

Younger people, particularly those under age 35 at the time of their original breast cancer diagnosis, face a higher risk of recurrent breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer. People with inflammatory breast cancer have a higher risk of local recurrence.

Which cancer has highest recurrence rate?

Some cancers are difficult to treat and have high rates of recurrence. Glioblastoma, for example, recurs in nearly all patients, despite treatment. The rate of recurrence among patients with ovarian cancer is also high at 85%….Related Articles.Cancer TypeRecurrence RateGlioblastoma2Nearly 100%18 more rows•Nov 30, 2018

How quickly does letrozole work?

Letrozole will immediately start to reduce the amount of oestrogen in your body. However, it takes several weeks or months for the medicine to work fully. During this time you’re likely to have menopause symptoms as your body gets used to having less oestrogen.

How do you know if letrozole is working?

How will I know if Letrozole is working? You may be asked to have a blood test during the menstrual cycle in which you are taking Letrozole. We usually take this blood sample on day 21 of your menstrual cycle and measure levels of the female hormone called progesterone. A level of 30 nmol/L or more is a good result.

Can aromatase inhibitors shrink tumors?

After menopause, the ovaries no longer produce estrogen, and aromatase inhibitors block the body’s remaining production of the hormone. Successful treatment reduces the size of a tumor before it is surgically removed, and the therapy has been shown to improve long-term outcomes for patients.

Is it better to take letrozole in the morning or at night?

Official answer. You can take letrozole (Femara) in the morning, midday or evening, but you should take it at about the same time each day. Taking it at the same time will help you to remember your dose. Letrozole is a tablet you take by mouth (with or without food), so you can take it with a meal if you prefer.

How long does letrozole last?

Letrozole is usually taken for five years, although some women take letrozole for five years after completing five years of the hormone therapy tamoxifen.

What is letrozole used for?

Letrozole is a drug used to treat breast cancer in women who have gone through the menopause (post-menopausal).

What to do if you have questions about breast cancer?

If you have any questions or concerns about your breast cancer treatment, speak to your specialist team.

Does letrozole cause osteoporosis?

The study reported that the side effects of letrozole are an increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures.

Does breast cancer come back?

The study reported a reduced risk of breast cancer coming back (recurrence) or a new breast cancer developing in the other breast. However, it did not show any effects on overall survival.

Why is letrozole given after breast surgery?

Letrozole is usually given after surgery to reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back or spreading.

When do you start taking letrozole?

Some people start taking letrozole after a few years of taking the hormone therapy drug tamoxifen .

How does letrozole work?

Letrozole works by reducing the amount of oestrogen made in the body. Some breast cancers are stimulated to grow by the hormone oestrogen. These are known as oestrogen receptor positive or ER+ breast cancers. Letrozole belongs to a group of drugs called aromatase inhibitors. 3.

What is letrozole used for?

Letrozole is a drug used to treat breast cancer in women who have gone through the menopause. You may also hear it called Femara, which is its best-known brand name. There are a number of other brands of letrozole, all of which contain the same dose of the drug.

What to do if letrozole stops working?

If letrozole stops working, your specialist may prescribe another hormone drug. If you have any worries or questions about taking or stopping letrozole, you can call us free on 0808 800 6000 to talk through your concerns. 7. How it’s taken. Letrozole is taken as a tablet once a day, with or without food.

What happens if you miss a dose of a drug?

If you miss a dose, you don’t need to take an extra dose the next day. The level of drug in your body will remain high enough from the day before.

Can you stop taking letrozole for breast cancer?

However, not taking the drug for the recommended time may increase the risk of your breast cancer coming back. If you’re thinking about stopping taking letrozole for any reason, talk to your specialist first. Sometimes it may be possible to change to another hormone drug.

How good is Letrozole for breast cancer?

Letrozole has an average rating of 5.3 out of 10 from a total of 93 ratings for the treatment of Breast Cancer. 31% of reviewers reported a positive effect, while 33% reported a negative effect.

How long has Tootygirl been taking Femara?

Tootygirl · Taken for 1 to 2 years April 10, 2013. Femara (letrozole): “I have been taking Femara for almost two years now after my second surgery for estrogen receptive positive breast cancer with no lymph nodes involved.

How long does letrozole work?

as you’ve been on tamoxifen for 5 you can maybe expect letrozole to work for 2 and a half years maybe more. It seems the first ones work the longest. This is what I have been told.

How long does letrezole keep you clear?

So to answer your question it definitely kept me clear for 5 years. If you are dealing with secondary cancer then many ladies can still get years out of Letrezole, the hormonal drugs can be very effective if you are estrogen positive. Hope this helps, please ask more if not. xxx.

Does Letrozole work for years?

Its nice to read that letrozole can work for years, i have only just started taking it after my secondaries diagnoses three months ago.

When was the post from cmccallum05?

The post from cmccallum05 was from 2015 so you may not get a response as I think she no longer uses the forum. Apologies to cmccallum05 if you do, its just I havent seen anything recently.

Is Tamox prescribed for pre menopausal women?

Tamox Is mainly prescribed for pre menopausal ladies but other hormones like anastrozole , letrozole and exemestance are for post menopausal ladies. At 50 you are sort of on the cusp and they might offer you a injection monthly called zoladex to put you in the post menopausal status. A lot of ladies here have it.

What is the name of the drug that is used to treat breast cancer?

Aromasin (generic name: exemestane) and Arimidex (generic name: anastrozole) are other aromatase inhibitors. Femara is used to treat postmenopausal women to: reduce the risk of early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer coming back after surgery and other treatments. reduce the risk of early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer …

How long does hormone therapy last?

These are oral medications taken as a daily pill for 5 to 10 years.

What is hormonal therapy?

Hormonal therapy (also called endocrine therapy) helps to prevent the growth of breast cancer cells that depend on hormones. Medicines used in this type of adjuvant treatment are typically the selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), like tamoxifen, or aromatase inhibitors (AIs), such as Femara.

How long does Femara last?

In one study, over 70% of women had a disease-free survival period for up to 8 years.

How long does Femara take to spread?

In this study, the majority of women receiving Femara went about 9.4 months without their cancer worsening or spreading. This is compared to 6 months for the women receiving tamoxifen.

What is the time after starting treatment when there is no sign of cancer returning?

reducing the risk of the cancer spreading to other parts of the body. Disease-free survival is the time after starting treatment when there is no sign of cancer returning.

Is tamoxifen better than letrozole?

Results have shown that AIs are better than tamoxifen treatment in prolonging the time until a breast cancer comes back …

Letrozole

Hi I’m new to this forum. I have had breast cancer twice, 2nd time round was in the same breast. Because of this I decided to go for a double mastectomy to avoid a “3rd” time. First time round I was put into Tamoxifen for 5 years, apart from the common side effect of hot flushes & mega weight gain I felt well on then.

Letrozole

I have also had two bouts of primary breast cancer in the same breast. I was first diagnosed 7 years ago and had a lumpectomy followed by Tamoxifen. Almost a year to the day, I found a second cancer in the same breast. I had a double mastectomy (1 was just prophylactic), followed by Letrozole.

Letrozole

Hi, if you type letrozole side effects into the search option you will find thousands of comments. I am two years post bc and having almost every side effect listed, I stopped taking it a month ago and have seen some improvements, I see my consultant in January and will discuss it then but I really don’t think I will take it again.

Letrozole

I had breast cancer removed Aug 2013. Started on Letrozole April 2014 for a year but because of aches & pains I got moved onto Anastrozole. At first I thought it was better, but been on it now for over 2 years & I’m crippled with joint pain, shoulders, hips, knees, particularly left leg, foot deformed, bakers cyst behind left knee.

Letrozole

Always remember it is your choice to make. Do some research to back you up, there’s lots on here so that you know more about it the next time you see the doctor. Think carefully about what you want, and the possible risks. Everyone is different.

Letrozole

Hi Clairebr. Can I ask how you are now please and how long it took for you to feel any improvements after stopping taking letrozole? I have been on letrozole since April and i also have herceptin injections every 3 weeks til december.

Letrozole

it’s now 10 months since I stopped Letrozole and the joint pains in my legs and muscle pains have all but disappeared. I tried Tamoxifen for a short while but that was the same so stopped. It does take a long time for the side effects to disappear.

post-menopausal Women

Letrozole is a drug used to treat breast cancer in women who have gone through the menopause (post-menopausal). It’s a type of hormone therapy that belongs to a group of drugs called aromatase inhibitors. It’s only prescribed in women whose breast cancer is hormone receptor positive. Letrozole is usually taken for five yea…

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