Practice Matters
Precautions for Patients Taking Aromatase Inhibitors
Mary Heery,(1) APRN, AOCNS®, CBCN, Stephen Farley,(2) PharmD, BCOP, Rhett Sparkman,(2) PharmD, John Healy, BS, Pharmd, William Eighmy,(3) PharmD, George Zahrah,(2) MD, and Richard Zelkowitz,(1) MD
From (1)Western Connecticut Health Network at The Smilow Family Breast Health Center, Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk, Connecticut; (2)Whittingham Cancer Center, Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk, Connecticut; (3)Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut
Authors’ disclosures of conflicts of interest are found at the end of this article.
Correspondence to: Mary Heery, APRN, AOCNS®, CBCN, 34 Maple Street, Norwalk, CT 06856. E-mail: mary.heery@nuvancehealth.org.
J Adv Pract Oncol 2020;11(2):184–189 |
https://doi.org/10.6004/jadpro.2020.11.2.6 |
© 2020 Harborside™
ABSTRACT
Aromatase inhibitors are the drug of choice for the treatment of estrogen receptor– or progesterone receptor–positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Aromatase is an enzyme that catalyzes the final and rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of estrogen. Inhibitors of this enzyme are an effective therapy for breast cancer. The benefits of these agents have been clearly shown through various clinical trials, yet adherence may be challenging for some patients due to issues of drug interactions, proper first dose education, and adverse effects. Education to prevent and treat adverse effects is of the utmost importance to promote adherence.
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