Zoladex/Femara after Tamoxifen?

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amg
amg Member Posts: 12
edited June 2014 in Young With Breast Cancer

Hello,

   I was just wondering if there are any others out there on this treatment.  I had 5 years of Tamoxifen after Chemo/surgery and radiation.  I was still menstruating, and my current oncologist recommended Zoladex/Femara.  I have been on it for 2 years, but am considering stopping for a bunch of reasons. 

  I know this is very controversial for young women.  Since we have moved a lot, I have access to the opinions of 3-4 oncologists.  The results are mixed right now on whether or not I should be doing this.

  If anyone can tell me whether or not they were put on Zoladex/Femara after Tamoxifen, I would appreciate it!!

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  • pod1257
    pod1257 Member Posts: 262
    edited November 2007

    Amg,

    I am not on the same tx as you, but I think alot of onc's are continuing anti-hormone therapy past the standard 5 yrs, as they learn more re preventing recurrance.

    Since you have done the 5yrs of tamox, it is not unreasonable to consider ovarian suppression with zolodex. The problem with zolodex, as I understand it, is hormones may fluctuate alot from week to week, so it is good to get periodic checks of your estradiol, to make sure you are truly in menopause. As you know, you are not supposed to take the AIs, unless you are truly menopausal.

    I am taking zolodex and tamox. I think my onc is very conservative and wants to make sure I am menopausal, although my estradiol levels have been low, so far. My onc will only give me the zolodex for 2yrs, as she says there are no studies beyond 2yrs about the long term effects of the shots. My situation is much different than yours, as I am 49 and hope to go into menopause soon, one way or another.

    Good luck deciding on your treatment.

    Julie

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  • nash
    nash Member Posts: 2,600
    edited November 2007

    My onc actually brought this issue up with me today. I'm 39 now, so I will be 44 when I'm done with tamoxifen. She was going back and forth whether it would be a good idea or not to do zolodex/femara afterwards. I told her I'm not comfortable with the ovarian suppression until I'm in my late 40's. But that's just me. At any rate, the end point of the discussion ended up being that five years of HT really isn't enough for a young woman, but that we'd have to wait to make a decision on what to do when we got to that 5 year mark.

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