Aromatase Inhibitor

Aromatase Inhibitor, Aromataze, Aromatase Inhibitors

Aromatase inhibitors stop estrogen production in postmenopausal women. Aromatase inhibitors work by blocking the enzyme aromatase, which turns the hormone androgen into a small amount of estrogen in the body. This means less estrogen is available to stimulate the growth of hormone receptor positive breast cancer cells.

One ​​pill each, usually taken once a day. All three are available as generic drugs.

Aromatase inhibitors cannot stop the ovaries from producing estrogen, which is why aromatase inhibitors are mainly used to treat postmenopausal women. However, aromatase inhibitors are much more effective than tamoxifen in postmenopausal women; Researchers wondered if there was a way to successfully treat precuropausal women diagnosed with hormonal receptor-positive, early-stage breast cancer with an aromatase inhibitor. The results obtained from the SOFT (Suppression of Ovarian Function Trial) study, published in 2015, reveal that premenopausal women diagnosed with hormone receptor positive breast cancer can be successfully treated with the aromatase inhibitor Aromasin if their ovarian function is suppressed. If you are a premenopausal woman who wants to take medication to suppress eggs, you may be able to take Aromasin instead of tamoxifen for your hormone therapy treatment.

You should not take an aromatase inhibitor if you are breastfeeding, pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or have a chance to become pregnant. Aromatase inhibitors can harm developing embryos. You should use an effective non-hormonal type of birth control (such as condoms, a spermicide diaphragm, or a hormone-free IUD) when using an aromatase inhibitor. After you stop taking an aromatase inhibitor, ask your doctor about the type of non-hormonal birth control that is best for you and how long you should use this type of birth control.

Benefits of Aromatase Inhibitors

A series of studies have compared aromatase inhibitors with tamoxifen to see which type of medicine is more effective in treating early-stage hormone receptor positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Most doctors recommend after the first treatment (surgery and possibly chemotherapy and radiation therapy) based on the results

An aromatase inhibitor is the best hormonal therapy to start with. In the treatment of early stage hormone receptor positive breast cancer, aromatase inhibitors have more benefits and less serious side effects than tamoxifen.

Switching to an aromatase inhibitor after taking tamoxifen for 2-3 years (for a total of 5 years of hormonal therapy) provides more benefits than 5 years of tamoxifen.

Taking an aromatase inhibitor for 5 years after taking tamoxifen for 5 years continues to reduce the risk of developing cancer compared to no treatment after tamoxifen.

Side Effects of Aromatase Inhibitors

Aromatase inhibitors tend to cause less serious side effects than tamoxifen, such as blood clots, stroke, and endometrial cancer. But aromatase inhibitors can cause heart problems, more bone loss (osteoporosis), and more broken bones, at least during the first few years of treatment. If you and your doctor are taking an aromatase inhibitor as part of your treatment plan, you may want to ask your doctor about having a bone density test to see if a bone-strengthening medicine will be needed while you are using the aromatase inhibitor.

The most common side effects of aromatase inhibitors are joint stiffness or joint pain. If you experience side effects from taking an aromatase inhibitor medication, let your doctor know. You can take a different medicine. While Arimidex and Femara have similar chemical structures, Aromasin has a different structure.

What is Aromatase?

Substance or factor that prevents the release of DNA or the duplication of DNA in the PCR process. Compounds, usually organic, that delay or stop biochemical reactions in the body. It is a factor preventing development in our metabolism.

In other words, Aromatase is a substance that reduces or completely destroys the rate of enzyme-catalyzed reactions.

Aromatase Inhibitor and Effect:

Inhibiting estrogen production provides an effective treatment for patients with hormone-dependent breast cancer. In premenopausal women, estrogen sources are predominantly the ovaries, but after menopause, estradiol (E2) is synthesized in peripheral tissues by aromatization of androgens to estrogens.

While plasma utilization is the primary mechanism for maintaining estradiol (E2) concentrations in breast cancer tissue in premenopausal women, several steps may work in postmenopausal women. These include the enzymatic synthesis of estradiol (E2) via sulfatase, aromatase, and 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in the tumor itself.

Aromaterization of androgens secreted by the adrenal to estrogens in peripheral tissues and circulating plasma to tumor delivery provides another way of maintaining breast tumor estradiol (E2) levels in postmenopausal women. These various sources contribute to the high tissue estrogen levels measured in breast tumor tissue.

Several aromatase inhibitors have recently been developed by scientists to effectively suppress tissue concentrations of estrogens and circulating estradiol (E2) in postmenopausal patients. These include steroidal inhibitors such as 4-hydroxy-androstenedione and non-steroidal compounds with imidazole and triazole structures.

The most potent of these, CGS 20267, has been reported to suppress active estrogen levels (ie estrone, estrone sulfatase and estradiol E2) by more than 95%. This compound can suppress serum and 24-hour urinary estrogens to a greater extent than that produced by the second generation inhibitor CGS 16949A. CGS 20267 is highly specific as it does not affect serum levels of cortisol and aldosterone during sodium and potassium imbalance during ACTH stimulation tests in 24-hour urine samples.

The Aromatase Test is being studied in our laboratory…