Aromatase inhibitor
- No androgen-to-estrogen conversion
- Estrogen deprivation treats hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women
- Ineffective in premenopausal women without ovarian suppression
- Estrogen loss → bone loss and arthralgia
Drugs with this mechanism (3)
- Anastrozole — Aromatase inhibitor for estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer.
- Exemestane — Steroidal, irreversible aromatase inhibitor—unlike the reversible triazoles.
- Letrozole — Aromatase inhibitor for breast cancer; also induces ovulation.
Self-check
- What must accompany aromatase inhibition before menopause?
Ovarian suppression. - Which skeletal toxicity follows aromatase-inhibitor estrogen loss?
Bone loss.
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