Education & Support Patient Support Programs

Helpful patient resources from AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca has been committed to the fight against breast cancer for over 30 years and is committed to helping you support your patients every day. Our programs span a variety of needs, from education and support to financial assistance.

Learn more about our programs:

AstraZeneca Cancer Support Network

At AstraZeneca, patient health is at the center of everything we do, and our commitment to patient care goes beyond discovering and developing medicines. An important part of that commitment is the support we provide to patients and health care professionals through the AstraZeneca Cancer Support Network (AZ CSN). AZ CSN provides important information about AstraZeneca oncology products. For questions or information please call AZ CSN at 1-866-992-9276, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 8 PM EST.

Go to the AZ CSN Web site.

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myCorner™, from In Your Corner™

Members of the AstraZeneca patient support program In Your Corner get access to myCorner, an interactive Web site for women on hormonal treatment for early breast cancer. Family, friends, and health care professionals can also join the site to provide support for the woman they care about.

myCorner members connect to motivate one another to stay on hormonal treatment. They stay informed with regular articles about breast cancer, recurrence, and healthy lifestyle choices and get tips on nutrition, exercise, and relaxation. Members encourage one another with messages and wishes, and relax with yoga videos, puzzle games, and a virtual garden.

Find out more about joining In Your Corner for access to myCorner.

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The Leading Ladies of Breast Cancer

The Leading Ladies of Breast Cancer is a group of breast cancer survivors who met for honest conversations about how they coped with breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. In a series of videos, these engaging breast cancer survivors speak honestly about their hopes and fears; their relationships with their families, partners, and their health care team; and more. Their stories are touching, inspiring, and even funny. They are relevant for anyone who has been touched by breast cancer.

Hear the Leading Ladies of Breast Cancer.

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Celebration Chain: celebrating the strength of women with breast cancer

The Celebration Chain is a way to honor special women who have faced or are facing breast cancer.

Anyone can design a personalized, animated celebration doll that represents a loved one's unique attributes. The woman receives an e-mail message telling her how to view her celebration doll. The sender also receives a confirmation e-mail.

Friends, family members, and even doctors and office staff can participate by creating dolls and sending celebrations.

Connect your patients and their families with the Celebration Chain at www.celebrationchain.com.

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AstraZeneca and National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM): a pioneering collaboration in women's health

In 1985, the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation, in collaboration with CancerCare®, a patient advocacy and educational organization, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, founded NBCAM.

The NBCAM organization is comprised of several national public service organizations, professional medical associations, and government agencies working in partnership to build breast cancer awareness, share information, and provide access to screening services. NBCAM and www.nbcam.org are year-round resources for patients, survivors, caregivers, and the general public.

Since its beginning more than 20 years ago, NBCAM has been dedicated to increasing awareness of breast cancer issues, especially the importance of early detection. NBCAM has evolved along with the national dialogue on breast cancer. Many strides have been made in breast cancer awareness and treatment, but even more still needs to be accomplished. NBCAM is focused on encouraging women to take charge of their own breast health by practicing regular breast self-exams, making sure to schedule an annual mammogram, adhering to prescribed treatment, and knowing the facts about recurrence.

Get more information about NBCAM.

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Important Information About Arimidex® (anastrozole) Tablets

Arimidex is indicated for adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer.

Arimidex is indicated for first-line treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive or hormone receptor-unknown locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer and for the 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.

Important Safety Information About Arimidex

  • Arimidex is only for postmenopausal women. Arimidex can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Before starting treatment with Arimidex, pregnancy must be excluded (see WARNINGS section of full Prescribing Information)
  • In women with preexisting ischemic heart disease 465/6186 (7.5%), an increased incidence of ischemic cardiovascular events occurred with Arimidex (17%) vs tamoxifen (10%). In this patient population, angina pectoris was reported in 25/216 (11.6%) vs 13/249 (5.2%) and myocardial infarction was reported in 2/216 (0.9%) vs 8/249 (3.2%) patients receiving Arimidex and tamoxifen, respectively
  • Compared to baseline, Arimidex showed a mean decrease in both lumbar spine and total hip bone mineral density. Tamoxifen showed a mean increase in these measurements. Nine percent of patients receiving Arimidex had an elevated serum cholesterol vs 3.5% of patients receiving tamoxifen
  • Common side effects seen with Arimidex vs tamoxifen in the early breast cancer trial after 5 years of treatment include hot flashes (36% vs 41%), joint disorders (including arthritis, arthrosis, arthralgia) (36% vs 29%), asthenia (19% vs 18%), mood disturbances (19% vs 18%), pain (17% vs 16%), pharyngitis (14% vs 14%), nausea and vomiting (13% vs 12%), rash (11% vs 13%), depression (13% vs 12%), hypertension (13% vs 11%), osteoporosis (11% vs 7%), peripheral edema (10% vs 11%), lymphedema (10% vs 11%), back pain (10% vs 10%), insomnia (10% vs 9%), and headache (10% vs 8%). Fractures, including fractures of the spine, hip, and wrist, occurred more often with Arimidex vs tamoxifen (10% vs 7%)
  • In the advanced breast cancer studies, the most common (occurring with an incidence of >10%) side effects occurring in women taking Arimidex included hot flashes, nausea, asthenia, pain, headache, back pain, bone pain, increased cough, dyspnea, pharyngitis, and peripheral edema. Joint pain/stiffness has been reported in association with the use of Arimidex
  • Clinical and pharmacokinetic results suggest that tamoxifen should not be administered with Arimidex. Estrogen-containing therapies should not be used with Arimidex as they may diminish its pharmacologic action

Please click here for full Prescribing Information.