Side effects vary by breast cancer maintenance therapy

Side effects vary by breast cancer maintenance therapy
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Among postmenopausal womenreceiving adjuvant therapy for early breast cancer, exemestaneis associated with fewer hot flashes than is tamoxifen, but italso causes more sleep problems, according to a study publishedthe Journal of Clinical Oncology.
"Hormonal breast cancer treatment increases menopausalsymptoms in women," note Dr. Stephen E. Jones and colleaguesfrom US Oncology Research Inc., Houston.
The investigators used questionnaires, completed by morethan 1,500 women to assess 10 common symptoms in the first yearof a clinical trial of tamoxifen or exemestane. Tamoxifen issold under the trade name Nolvadex, and exemestane is soldunder the trade name Aromasin.
The patients had completed surgery and chemotherapy forearly breast cancer. All of the women had hormonereceptor-positive cancers, which respond to these two agents.
The prevalence of the initial symptoms ranged from 2percent (for vaginal bleeding) to 75 percent (for fatigue).
Patients who received tamoxifen experienced significantlymore vaginal discharge than those who received exemestane.Those who received exemestane had more bone and muscle aches,vaginal dryness, difficulty sleeping and decreased libido.
In both treatment groups, hot flash scores peaked at about3 months and decreased thereafter. As mentioned, patients inthe tamoxifen group had a significantly higher mean hot flashscore at 12 months than those in the exemestane group.
"These are common complaints and the treatments used makesome worse," Jones commented to Reuters Health. "Oncologistsand other oncology health professionals need to be aware of thecommonplace nature (of these side effects) and attempt to helpwherever possible," he said. For example, he suggested it maybe necessary to treat the hot flashes if they are affecting thepatient's of life.
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Oncology, October 20, 2007.