Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Joint Symptom Factors Identified in Breast Cancer Patients 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. Ivana Sestak, PhD, and Jack Cuzick, PhD, Cancer Research UK, London, United Kingdom, and colleagues investigated the importance of a range of risk factors for joint symptoms in patients enrolled in the ATAC trial, in which postmenopausal women with breast cancer were randomly assigned to either an aromatase inhibitor or tamoxifen. The authors also examined whether the importance of these risk factors varied according to treatment. There were 5,433 women enrolled in the ATAC trial reporting no joint symptoms at entry. 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 E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version