Treatment

In advanced breast cancer, the goal of hormonal treatment is to slow or delay disease progression. It is used as a way to block the effect of estrogen and keep it from helping cancer cells to grow and spread. In order for hormonal treatment to work, hormone receptors (message-carrying proteins that may stimulate tumor growth) must be present in the cancerous tumor. Your medical team can determine your hormone-receptor status using a lab test of your cancer biopsy. There are several hormonal treatment options available to treat advanced and metastatic breast cancer. To find out which hormonal treatment option may be best for you, please talk to your doctor.

ARIMIDEX is approved for first-line treatment (first hormonal treatment in advanced breast cancer) for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer
ARIMIDEX is also approved for treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women with disease progression following tamoxifen therapy. Patients with estrogen receptor-negative disease and patients who did not respond to previous tamoxifen therapy rarely responded to ARIMIDEX
In advanced breast cancer clinical trials, the most common side effects seen with ARIMIDEX include hot flashes, nausea, decreased energy and weakness, pain, back pain, bone pain, and increased cough. Joint pain/stiffness has been reported in association with the use of ARIMIDEX
Prescription ARIMIDEX is only for postmenopausal women. ARIMIDEX should not be taken if you are pregnant because it may harm your unborn child
ARIMIDEX should not be taken with tamoxifen or estrogen-containing therapies

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FASLODEX^® (fulvestrant) Injection is a hormonal treatment for hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women with disease progression following antiestrogen therapy (for example, tamoxifen). See how FASLODEX works.


	Learn more about FASLODEX

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells, particularly those that have spread to areas other than the breast. It is sometimes used in locally advanced breast cancer to shrink the tumor and make it operable. It is also sometimes given after surgery to kill any cancer cells that remain in the body. For tumors that have spread and cannot be removed by surgery, chemotherapy may be the main type of treatment. There are many different chemotherapy drugs and regimens. Chemotherapy can be used alone or along with hormonal treatment, as well as with other treatments.

One formulation of paclitaxel is ABRAXANE^® for Injectable Suspension (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound) is a unique type of chemotherapy used in metastatic breast cancer. It contains the same active ingredient as solvent-based paclitaxel, but instead of using solvents, ABRAXANE uses an albumin formulation (a human protein) to deliver the drug. Because ABRAXANE does not contain solvents, patients treated with ABRAXANE do not need to be pre-treated with medication to help prevent solvent-related side effects. Please see Full Indication, Boxed Warning, and Important Safety Information for ABRAXANE.


	Learn more about ABRAXANE

Novel targeted therapy

This term covers several new options that fight cancer by targeting specific features of cancer cells, such as certain proteins. One type of targeted therapy, for example, works only against breast cancer cells that make too much of a protein called HER2/neu. It works by binding to HER2/neu proteins on tumor cells, causing them to stop working. Tumor cells are then unable to grow, or their growth is slowed. This type of therapy can be used together with chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses x-rays to kill or hinder the growth of cancer cells. In metastatic disease, some patients may receive radiation therapy to treat symptoms at sites where the cancer has spread. For example, if breast cancer has spread to the bone, radiation may be used to lessen bone pain.

Surgery

In some cases, a physician may recommend surgery to remove tissue from the breast or to remove lymph nodes. While surgery may help control cancer by removing cancerous tissue, if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, surgery is generally not an option.

Palliative care

Palliative care is meant to relieve common symptoms that patients may experience in advanced stages of the disease. Some of these symptoms may include pain, shortness of breath, lack of appetite, weakness, anxiety, and depression. These symptoms may be managed with appropriate medications, including hormonal treatment in some patients.

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Important Information About FASLODEX Injection and ARIMIDEX

FASLODEX and ARIMIDEX are indicated for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women with disease progression following antiestrogen therapy.

Important Safety Information About FASLODEX and ARIMIDEX

FASLODEX and ARIMIDEX are only for postmenopausal women. FASLODEX and ARIMIDEX can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Women of childbearing potential should be advised not to become pregnant while receiving FASLODEX or ARIMIDEX. (See CONTRAINDICATIONS and WARNINGS sections of full Prescribing Informations.)

Because FASLODEX is administered intramuscularly, it should not be used in patients with bleeding diatheses, thrombocytopenia, or in patients on anticoagulants.

In clinical trials, the most commonly reported adverse effects seen with FASLODEX vs ARIMIDEX treatment, regardless of the investigator’s assessment of causality, were gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea 26.0% vs 25.3%, vomiting 13.0% vs 11.8%, constipation 12.5% vs 10.6%, diarrhea 12.3% vs 12.8%, abdominal pain 11.8% vs 11.6%), headache (15.4% vs 16.8%), back pain (14.4% vs 13.2%), hot flashes (17.7% vs 17.3%), and pharyngitis (16.1% vs 11.6%). Injection site reactions with mild, transient pain and inflammation were reported in 7% of patients (1% of treatments) given a single 5 mL injection and 27% of patients (4.6% of treatments) given 2 x 2.5 mL injections of FASLODEX. Joint pain/stiffness has been reported in association with the use of ARIMIDEX.

Please click here for full Prescribing Information for FASLODEX. Please click here for full Prescribing Information for ARIMIDEX.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Important Information About ABRAXANE for Injectable Suspension (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound)

ABRAXANE is indicated for the treatment of breast cancer after failure of combination chemotherapy for metastatic disease or relapse within 6 months of adjuvant chemotherapy. Prior therapy should have included an anthracycline unless clinically contraindicated.

You should receive ABRAXANE under the care of a doctor who is trained to use cancer drugs. Because you may have side effects from your treatment, you should get this medicine in a clinic or hospital with doctors, nurses, and pharmacists who are trained to give cancer drugs.

ABRAXANE therapy should not be given to patients with metastatic breast cancer who have low white blood cell counts, which may make you more likely to get an infection. Your doctor will schedule frequent blood tests for you in order to check for low blood counts.

Note: ABRAXANE is paclitaxel made with the human blood protein albumin. This makes it behave differently in the body than regular paclitaxel. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE FOR OR WITH OTHER PACLITAXEL DRUGS.

Important Safety Information About ABRAXANE

One of the more important side effects associated with chemotherapy is neutropenia, which is a decrease in the number of infection-fighting white blood cells (neutrophils). Normal levels range from approximately 1,500 cells/mm³ to 1,800 cells/mm³ (but vary according to several factors, such as age and race). If levels fall below 500 cells/mm³, your risk of developing an infection increases and treatment may be interrupted. To avoid the risk of serious infection and fever, your doctor will monitor your absolute neutrophil count (ANC) during therapy.

Women should avoid becoming pregnant while being treated with ABRAXANE. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, if you become pregnant, or you plan to become pregnant while taking ABRAXANE. Discuss with your doctor how ABRAXANE may affect fertility. Nursing a baby while taking ABRAXANE is not recommended because the drug may be present in breast milk.

The most important adverse events included lower white and red blood cell counts, infections, tingling and numbness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle and joint aches, and mouth sores. Other adverse reactions included weakness, visual disturbances, fluid retention, hair loss, and liver and kidney dysfunction. Low platelet counts, allergic reactions (which in rare cases were severe), cardiovascular reactions, and injection site reactions were uncommon.

Sensory neuropathy (numbness, tingling, or burning in the hands and feet) can occur with ABRAXANE and other paclitaxel medications. Severe sensory neuropathy can improve with proper management, as prescribed by your doctor. You should tell your nurse or doctor if you experience numbness, tingling, or burning in your hands or feet while taking ABRAXANE.

Please talk to your doctor or nurse if you have questions regarding the potential side effects of ABRAXANE therapy. You may want to review the Product Information, including Warnings, Precautions, and Contraindications.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

This site is intended for US consumers/patients. If you are a non-US consumer/patient, click here.

ARIMIDEX and FASLODEX are registered trademarks of the AstraZeneca group of companies.
ABRAXANE is marketed under a co-promotion agreement between Abraxis BioScience, LLC. and AstraZeneca.

Abraxis Oncology is a division of Abraxis BioScience, LLC.

All other registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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