My daughter has advanced Breast Cancer

WandaWoo

My beautiful daughter has just been diagnosed with mets to the lungs and ribs.  I'm so very scared for her.  The doctor has started her on Femara to slow/reduce the tumors.  Anyone out there have luck with Femara?

Nanalinda

I have not been on Femara; my BC is triple negative so that is a drug that would not help me.  I am sure someone will post soon who has been on this drug.  I just wanted to post how very sorry I am that your daughter has gotten this dreadful disease and to start out with mets is heartbreaking.  I have two daughters my self and I pray every day that they don't develop BC.  You will see on these boards that there are many women with mets who have been around for a long time.  She is fortunate to have Femara as an option to help her with her fight.  I wish you and your daughter the best of luck and hope the Femara kicks butt!!!  Linda

rkt

Dear Wanda,

I was diagnosed last summer at stage iv with bone mets (entire spine, sternum, pelvis, and spots on ribs).  My bone scans showed these areas as completely black - too many places with cancer to even begin counting spots.  I was started on Arimidex daily (July 4, 2008) and monthly zometa infusions.  In December 2008, I had clear PET scan (no active cancer anywhere) - clean scan again in March, so had mastectomy in May. Bone scans show where cancer was, but it is not active - my understanding, where cancer has been will be apparent on my bone scans for some time.

The Zometa is a biphosphonate, which is used to try to counteract one of the adverse side effects of arimidex (bone density loss).  I think that they normally put folks who are on an aromatase inhibitor (like arimidex) on biphosphonate also.  I think that Femara works the same way as arimidex, by keeping the aromatase from working to convert things to estrogen in the body, but don't know if it causes bone density loss.  There was a report out of the San Antoinio BC conference last year, I think, that seemed to indicate that zometa also has an adverse effect on cancer, they were thinking that it made the bone environment inhospitable for cancer - I will see if I can find the link for this article - my brother sent it to me. 

Will keep you and your daugher in my thoughts and prayers.

Becky