To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Joint Symptom Factors Identified in Breast Cancer Patients URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/22838E.htm Doctor's Guide August 12, 2008
CHICAGO -- August 12, 2008 -- Previous use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), hormone-receptor positivity, previous chemotherapy, obesity, and treatment with anastrozole versus tamoxifen are all risk factors for joint symptoms in postmenopausal women with breast cancer on endocrine treatment, according to a retrospective exploratory analysis of patients enrolled in the Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination (ATAC) trial. This study is published online and in the September edition of The Lancet Oncology.
Results demonstrated that 41.1% of women who had previously used HRT reported joint symptoms compared with 28.6% of women who had not used HRT. In women with hormone receptor-positive tumours, 33.9% reported joint symptoms compared with 27.7% who had hormone receptor-negative tumours. Women who received previous chemotherapy also reported significantly more joint symptoms than those who had not.
Obesity also had a role in the onset of joint symptoms, with significantly more joint symptoms being reported with increasing body mass index. Finally, when the number of joint symptoms was compared between the 2 treatment groups, patients assigned anastrozole reported a higher proportion compared with patients assigned tamoxifen.
These risk factors are all potentially linked with greater decreases in oestrogen concentration when patients start taking endocrine treatment. Oestrogen deficiency has been associated with joint symptoms in several different settings. The effects of these risk factors are additive, and therefore need to be taken into account when preparing women for the use of aromatase inhibitors. Dr. Sestak concludes, "Awareness of risk factors for joint symptoms will help both clinicians and patients to anticipate and manage these symptoms and ensure optimum adherence to endocrine treatment."
SOURCE: The Lancet --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.