Drug: Femara

Understanding Femara (Letrozole) is important for women under breast cancer treatment. This article aims to elucidate Femara, why it’s prescribed, its effects on the body and how it fights the disease.

       

What is Femara?

       

Femara, scientifically known as Letrozole, is a powerful aromatase inhibitor used primarily in the treatment of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. It lowers estrogen levels by inhibiting an enzyme called aromatase that could stimulate growth of some types of breast cancers.

       

Uses of Femara

       

Femara has been applied in various cases such as:

       

           
• It is used as an adjuvant therapy which means that it is given after surgery to help lower the risk of recurrence in post menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer.
           
• In patients who have received about five years worth of tamoxifen adjuvant therapy but still have not finished their five year course of extended adjuvant therapy following surgery.
           
• As initial endocrine based therapy for hormone receptor positive or unspecified locally advanced or metastatic disease affecting postmenopausal females only; this may be either letrozole monotherapy or letrozole combination therapy with tamoxifen
           
• Treatment with FEMARA should only be started after natural menopause has happened, unless there are special circumstances; then FEMARA should only be continued as long as shown to work for you.
       

       

How Does Femara Work?

       

Femara belongs to a class of drugs known as aromatase inhibitors. One of these inhibitors is an enzyme that produces estrogen from androgens in the body. It stops the growth of new cancer cells by reducing the amount of estrogen produced.

       

Side Effects of Femara

       

Femara, however, may result in some side effects when used for treating breast cancer. There are however some common ones which include:

       

           
• Sweating a lot at night,
           
• Aching joints,
           
• Sickness,
           
• Exhaustion,
           
• Osteoporosis.
       

       

It is essential to discuss any potential side effects with your health care provider because they could recommend ways to manage them.

       

Effectiveness of Femara

       

Femara has been found through research to be very effective at reducing risk of breast cancer returning after treatment in postmenopausal women. For instance compared to tamoxifen which is another type of hormone therapy, FEMARA has demonstrated greater reduction probabilities for breast cancer recurrence as well as longevity improvement in certain patients with advanced breast cancer.

       

Conclusion

Femara (Letrozole) is an important medication used to treat hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. This medicine can reduce estrogen levels and slow down or prevent the growth of cancer cells, thus making it an effective choice for many patients. Nevertheless, you should know about possible adverse reactions if you want to talk about this subject with someone involved in medical service. Properly managed though, Femara would be quite significant during treatment and recovery from breast cancer.