Advanced breast cancerFAQs about advanced breast cancer

Wherever you are in your fight against advanced breast cancer, it is important to understand the disease. The following information provides you with answers to some frequently asked questions about advanced breast cancer and its treatment.

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What is advanced breast cancer?

Breast cancer is considered advanced when it has spread from its original site to other areas of the body. There are two types of advanced breast cancer: locally advanced and metastatic. Learn more about each type of breast cancer

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What therapies are available for advanced breast cancer?

Whether you have been diagnosed with locally advanced, metastatic, or recurrent breast cancer, treatments are available. Click any of the links below to learn more about available treatments.

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Does ARIMIDEX work as well as tamoxifen for the initial treatment of locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer?

Researchers conducted a series of clinical trials to determine if ARIMIDEX fights advanced breast cancer as well as tamoxifen does. Tamoxifen has been the most widely used hormonal breast cancer treatment for over 20 years. Here is what the researchers found out.

  • ARIMIDEX does fight breast cancer as well as tamoxifen
  • ARIMIDEX is generally well tolerated

For these reasons, you and your doctor may decide that ARIMIDEX is right for you. If you are postmenopausal, you can take ARIMIDEX even if you have not been treated with any other cancer medicine.

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Important Information About ARIMIDEX

ARIMIDEX is approved for adjuvant treatment (treatment following surgery with or without radiation) of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer.

ARIMIDEX is approved for the initial treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive or hormone receptor-unknown locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer and for the treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer that has progressed following treatment with tamoxifen. Patients with hormone receptor-negative disease and patients who did not previously respond to tamoxifen therapy rarely responded to ARIMIDEX.

Important Safety Information About ARIMIDEX

  • Prescription ARIMIDEX is only for postmenopausal women. ARIMIDEX should not be taken if you are pregnant because it may harm your unborn child
  • Based on information from a study in patients with early breast cancer, women with a history of blockages in heart arteries (ischemic heart disease) who take ARIMIDEX may have a slight increase in this type of heart disease compared to similar patients who take tamoxifen
  • ARIMIDEX can cause bone softening/weakening (osteoporosis) increasing the chance of fractures. In a clinical study in early breast cancer, there were more fractures (including fractures of the spine, hip, and wrist) with ARIMIDEX (10%) than with tamoxifen (7%)
  • In a clinical study in early breast cancer, some patients taking ARIMIDEX had an increase in cholesterol. Skin reactions, allergic reactions, and changes in blood tests of liver function have also been reported
  • In the early breast cancer clinical trial, the most common side effects seen with ARIMIDEX include hot flashes, joint symptoms (including arthritis and arthralgia), weakness, mood changes, pain, back pain, sore throat, nausea and vomiting, rash, depression, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, fractures, swelling of arms/legs, insomnia, and headache
  • In advanced breast cancer trials, the most common side effects seen with ARIMIDEX versus tamoxifen include hot flashes, nausea, decreased energy and weakness, pain, back pain, headache, bone pain, increased cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, and swelling of arms and legs. Joint pain/stiffness has been reported in association with the use of ARIMIDEX
  • ARIMIDEX should not be taken with tamoxifen or estrogen-containing therapies

Please click here for full Prescribing Information.

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 (1-800-332-1088).