Anti-oestrogen Treatments

Anti-oestrogen treatments are medications, usually tablets, given to patients with breast cancer when the cancer has oestrogen or progesterone receptors active on the surface of the cells.  The receptor status is one of the important results we get from the pathology testing and when these receptors are positive it tells us that the cancer cells are still using any of the body’s oestrogen to help them grow.  This means that if we can block the action of oestrogen on those cells it will stop them growing, cause them to be inactive and eventually die, and for many patients this treatment can be just as effective as chemotherapy in reducing the risk of the cancer coming back.  The most widely known anti-oestrogen drug is a tablet called tamoxifen which has been around for many years and directly blocks the body’s oestrogen from binding to the receptor on the cancer cells, and this medication can be used in any lady with oestrogen positive cancer cells.  A newer class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors work by stopping the body from making oestrogen after menopause.  These drugs are only suitable for post-menopausal women.  Your oncologist will advise you as to which of these medications may be appropriate for you and why.