Hormone Therapy Drugs to Prevent Breast Cancer Recurrence

Tamoxifen is given to lower the risk of breast cancer recurrence. Learn more about hos tamoxifen works, what side effects it can have, how to pay for it, and why it doesn't always work. Be sure to learn all you can about tamoxifen before you start taking it.

a table of antidepressants that inhibit the benefits of tamoxifen in women with breast cancer

Tamoxifen is given to prevent breast cancer recurrence, but it doesn't always for work for everybody. Learn more about the CYP2D6 enzyme, tamoxifen resistance, and the possible impact on your health after breast cancer treatment.

Some of us take antidepressants to help with hot flashes caused by tamoxifen, but research shows that some SSRIs like Zoloft can cancel out the benefits of hormonal therapy. If you took Zoloft with tamoxifen for five years, do you have to take tamoxifen again?

Estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer can be treated with endocrine therapies, also called hormonal therapies. These drugs come in two classes: selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs)and aromatase inhibitors. These lower your estrogen levels, and may affect your fertility, as well as preventing a recurrence of breast cancer. Learn more about endocrine therapies for breast cancer.

Arimidex, Aromasin, and Femara are three aromatase inhibitors given as follow-up treatment after primary treatment for estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors prevent the production of estrogen by inhibiting the enzyme aromatase.

SERMs are selective estrogen-receptor modulators, drugs that block natural circulating estrogen in breast tissues and other estrogen-sensitive tissues in your body.

Arimidex helps prevent the production of estrogen, a hormone that fuels many breast cancer tumors. It is considered a hormonal treatment, and can help prevent recurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

Femara (letrozole) is an aromatase inhibitor that can greatly reduce your risk of recurrence for estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer. If you've completed treatment and taken Tamoxifen for 2 to 5 years, letrozole can extend protection from cancer's return. Learn more about letrozole.

Tamoxifen is an estrogen suppressor, which helps lower the risk that breast cancer will return and improves survival rates. If you have been diagnosed with estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer, tamoxifen may be used as part of your follow-up treatment. Weighing the risks and benefits of taking tamoxifen may seem tricky, but most doctors...

Aromasin is given to female breast cancer patients to lower estrogen levels and prevent recurrence of breast cancer. Many breast tumors are fueled by estrogen. If breast cancer cells are present in your system, they have much less chance to grow, if they can’t get any estrogen. Read about the differences between tamoxifen and Aromasin.