By: Laurie Edwards for Fibroids1A drug typically used to treat breast cancer in postmenopausal women shows promise for treating women suffering from fibroids.
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Know more about fibroids and risk factors:
Fibroids can range from as small as a pea to as large as a grapefruit
The exact cause of fibroids in unknown but is believed to be related to changes in hormone levels
The risk of developing fibroids decreases as the number of children a woman has increases
Long-term use of oral contraceptives decreases the risk of developing fibroids
Given their link to female hormones, when women reach menopause their fibroids will usually shrink |
According to a study published in the September edition of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the drug anastrazole (Arimidex) has been found to decrease the size of fibroids and improve many of the symptoms that accompany fibroids.
Fibroids are benign uterine growths that are found in approximately 20 percent of women over the age of 30. Symptoms include abnormally heavy periods, shortened menstrual periods, fatigue, increased vaginal discharge and painful sexual intercourse. In some cases, fibroids can be asymptomatic altogether and are only detected after routine pelvic exams.
The new study, conducted at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, found that women given a low dose of Arimidex – one milligram daily for three 28-day cycles – experienced an average 55.7 percent reduction of fibroid volume and a 29.9 percent reduction in total uterine volume. They also reported experiencing fewer symptoms like bleeding and pain.
It is important to note that the benefit of the drug was limited to women over 40 and that women with larger fibroids experienced the most improvement.
Typically, anastrazole is prescribed for older women whose breast cancer is sensitive to estrogen because it blocks aromatase, an enzyme necessary to produce estrogen. This new study suggests that anastrazole, when given in a low dose, helps block the estrogen produced by fibroids.
The usual treatment for fibroids depends on a variety of factors, including the patient’s age, where they are in their reproductive history and if they wish to someday have children, and if they are symptomatic. In many cases, fibroids do not require any treatment.
When their symptoms are more pronounced and treatment is necessary, fibroids can be surgically removed, which is more common in younger women who still want to have children. Sometimes, women with painful fibroids who are past their childbearing years have a hysterectomy.
However, medical therapy is usually effective in shrinking fibroids and reducing symptoms. Anastrazole could be the newest tool in helping these women, and according to Dr. Fotios K. Varelas, the treatment was “generally well tolerated” by the study participants. At the same time, he stressed the importance of larger, placebo-controlled clinical trials to establish the long-term risk of prolonged use of anastrazole in premenopausal women.
