Is there any increase in uterine cancer with the aromatase inhibitors?
So far there does not seem to be an increase, but uterine cancers are quite rare. You will not get that information until very large numbers of patients are studied. We were not aware of the higher risk of uterine cancer with Tamoxifen until one million women had been treated. Tamoxifen has a pro-estrogenic effect in the uterus, stimulating the uterine cells, which is probably the reason for the increase in uterine cancer. Aromatase inhibitors do not stimulate the uterus. If aromatase inhibitors accelerate bone problems, are bisphosphonates any help? Yes, bisphosphonates like Fosamax are being studied. Three studies are looking at the possibility that bone may serve as a reservoir for micrometastatic breast cancer. Fosamax has been approved for osteoporosis, but can also lower the risk of bone complications in patients with early stage breast cancer as well as in multiple myeloma. A German study showed that giving micrometastatic patients another form of bisphosphonate, Clodronate, pro
