Has anyone had any success with Exemestane (Aromasin)

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I have been on femara (+ herceptin,zometa and zoladex) which have kept my secondaries stable for over 3 years.

My lung tumour has been growing slowly but now my spinal met has joined in.

My onc has decided to give Exemestane a try. I do not have doubts about changing my hormonal but cannot seem to recall anyone having success using it with secondaries. Am I wrong ? Have had a quick read and think Mariff may have had some stability.

Any comments gratefully received !!

Julie x

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Please ignore the other post. Laptop playing up again.

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I am guessing the answer must be no :frowning:

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Hi Julie

I’m not sure - I have been on it since April this year and things seemed to be fairly stable at my last checkup but I have had some radiotherapy to my bone mets too during the same period so I’m not sure what’s helped. I’m on bisphosphonates too, but have been on those for a year and a half now. It’s worth a try and I haven’t noticed any worsening in side effects from my previous AI. Hope it works well for you.

Tournesol

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Hi! Was switched from Femara (progress into chest lymph nodes) in March and have just had CT scan which shows possible healing in some of the affected bone secondaries and shrinkage of tumours in lymph nodes. Am also on zoladex and bisphosphonates.

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Hi Julie - yes, I’ve been on exemestane for about six years (was on Arimidex for two years before that), with far fewer side effects than on Tamoxifen after my primary BC dx in 1997 (when I spent five years almost permanently puce, grumpy & sweating). But . . . I’ve also been on Xeloda (capecitabine - tablet chemo) at the same time (and the tablet bisphosphonate ibandronic acid). It’s extremely unusual to be on a hormonal AND a chemo at the same time, and my onc wouldn’t advise that now, but he and I have agreed that, as we don’t know if one or the other is doing the job (or maybe both together?!), I’ll stay on both for now. And, yes, stable for a long time now, in both liver & bone mets - very lucky.

It’s so hard to predict how any of us will respond to our treatments, but of course I hope that a change to exemestane works well for you. xx

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. . . and good luck to Tournesol & Haxted too! xx

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Thamks for replying.

Best wishes too.

julie xxx

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Having gone almost 3 years with Femara, I had 6xEC chemo then about 8 months of stability with exemestane (on its own), giving me an unexpectedly good summer in 2010. No noticeable side effects!

I have liver and bone mets, not lung mets, so this may not be comparable… but I hope you get good results with this hormonal treatment.

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Hello gals, I have bone and small liver mets which are disappearing with paclitaxel (taxol) and have been having it weekly, I am due number 15 on Thursday and finishing next week with number 16, then I’m going onto exemestane 3 weeks after that! Am also looking for some good news with regards to this drug as tamoxifen and femara failed miserably, must admit I don’t have much faith in the hormonal treatments and I told the Onc that today. Have read your comments with interest - any more out there?? Love to all xxx

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Hi
I was diagnosed six months ago with mets on my liver and bones following a mastectomy 9yrs ago. I had 8 sessions of xeloda which has shrunk and now stabalised the tumoours. my oncologist has put me on Aromsin, how has everyone found this? what about side effects?

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Hi Hils53 - I’ve been on exemestane for about six years, and can’t think I have any noticeable side effects from it. But . . . I’m almost 20 years past a very early menopause, so will be “well-drained” of oestrogen now - younger women having this treatment might have a different experience! Good luck with it - Marilyn x

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Hi
I have been on Exemastine since Oct 2010 after Letrazole stopped working. I had an excellent response in my bones to Exemastine. Like Marif I am now on Capecitabine aswell and all appears to be stable at the moment.

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I was on arimidex for almost five years following a primary diagnosis of grade 2 stage2 oestrogen pos breast csancer. Following a secondary diagnosis of vertebral mets in Feb 2011 I was switched to exsemestane. There has been recent research that more women with secondaries respond to exsemestane after arimidex than the other way around. My tumour markers have been stable around 38 since but my last MRI showed 2 small new lesions but with evidence of healing in the initial lesions. ( which had received radiotherapy because of the collapse of vertebra T4.) I remain on exsemestane for now…we had discussed switching to faslodex but didn’t do it cos tumour markers stable and I’m very well…taking part in exercise classes etc…may not now be an option!