Aromasin and Femara are hormone therapies prescribed to treat breast cancer in women but have slightly approved uses. Research studies compared Aromasin and Femara use in early breast cancer; researchers found that two pharmaceutical agents work equally well.
Aromatase inhibitors a kind of hormone therapy effective in treating breast cancers. They are generally available in the form of tablets and can be started after surgery or radiation therapy. Doctors only prescribe these anti-cancer drugs to premenopausal women suffering from a receptor-positive tumour that requires oestrogen to grow. These medications work by stopping certain hormones from turning into estrogen. During the process, these drugs cause a significant reduction in the body. The class of medicine is not suitable for people with premenopausal women because their ovaries still secrete estrogen. Also, it will not stop the ovaries from producing estrogen that is responsible for tumour growth.
Difference between Letrozole (Femara) and Exemestane (Letrozole)
There are two broad categories of third-generation aromatase inhibitors. Anastrozole and Letrozole (triazole derivative) is a reversible non-steroidal agent. The third agent is exemestane, an androstenedione derivative that works as an irreversible steroidal inhibitor or inactivator. Triazole derivatives tend to adhere to the cytochrome P-450component of the aromatase enzyme, whereas the steroidal one adheres to the substance-binding pocket of the aromatase enzyme, ultimately leads to its degradation.
According to research studies, the survival rate of patients taking Aromasin and Famara are similar with no statistical differences. In addition, five years of aromatase inhibitor treatment was not superior to two years of tamoxifen therapy followed by three years of an aromatase inhibitor. According to the American cancer society, Aromasin and Femara both function well when treating breast cancer in women. Femara supplied as 2.5 mg tablets, while Aromasin is available in 25 mg strength. Patients can take Aromasin after a meal approximately at the same time each day, while Femara can be used without regard to food.
Women may discuss with their health care experts whether they need to extend aromatase inhibitor therapy for up to ten years, especially in cases of high risk for another breast cancer. As reports established by the American society of clinical oncology (ASCO), increasing treatment is not associated with an overall survival advantage but can cause a significant reduction in the risk from recurrence of breast cancer and occurring in the opposite breast as compared to no treatment. According to ASCO, treatment should not be extended for longer than ten years.
The Best Aromatase Inhibitor
The type and duration of treatment for breast cancer should always be an individual and her doctor’s decision. Choosing a hormonal therapy based on the type of breast cancer, history of other treatments in eth past, or adverse effects you have experienced is important. While selecting an appropriate treatment for you, it is important to discuss the risks and benefits of using the drug with your doctor.
Uses of Femara & Aromasin
- Femara
Femara contains Letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor used for adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer. It is also effective for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor or unknown breast cancer.
- Aromasin
Aromasin belongs to medicines known as aromatase inhibitors. It interferes with a substance called Aromatase, which is required to make estrogen, a female sex hormone, especially in postmenopausal women. Reduction in estrogen hormone is the only way of treating hormone-dependent breast cancer. The medicine effectively treats hormone-dependent early breast cancer in postmenopausal women after they have completed the treatment with Tamoxifen drug. It also treats hormone-dependent advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women when another hormonal drug treatment has not produced enough result.
Who can use Aromatase Inhibitors?
Doctors prescribe Aromasin to postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer, and metastatic cancer is often treated with aromatase inhibitors. After menopause, the ovaries secrete little estrogen. Aromatase inhibitors stop the body from making the estrogen hormone that feeds the tumour. As a result, hormone receptor-positive tumours do not get estrogen to grow and multiply, ultimately dies. The currently established anti-aromatase inhibitor comprises Letrozole and, on the other hand, the irreversible aromatase inactivator exemestane. These drugs have recently demonstrated superior efficacy compared with tamoxifen as initial treatment for early breast cancer, improving survival rate. Aromatase inhibitors have now replaced tamoxifen as the standard of care for adjuvant endocrine therapy in postmenopausal women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer. Exemestane is the only aromatase inactivator used widely worldwide; doctors and health care experts often must choose Letrozole in general practice.
Aromatase inhibitors, including Aromasin and Femara, are the standard treatment for early-stage breast cancer in postmenopausal women. They are often prescribed as adjuvant treatment means when additional treatment is given after your first breast cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation, to reduce the risk of recurrence. Both are equally effective in treating advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
Also Read: Benefits of Aromasin
