Neurology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Oncology, Obesity, Endocrinology, Vascular surgery - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, description of the disease.

Side effects of hormonal treatment of breast cancer

• Increases the risk of uterine cancer (less than 1% of women)
  
• Increased risk of thrombosis, and cataracts (less than 1% of women)
  
• The risk of stroke (less than 1% of women)
  
• The risk of infertility.
  

• Osteoporosis (bone loss),
  
• Some drugs - increase blood cholesterol levels,
  
• Increased risk of thrombosis,
  
• Some medications - stomach pains and sweating.
  

• Osteoporosis (bone loss),
  
• Swelling and tenderness at the injection site,
  
• Possible side effects of the stomach, headache and backache.
  

• Osteoporosis (bone loss),
  
• Irreversible infertility.
  
  
  

Common side effects of hormone therapy for harakternye: mood swings, depression, weight gain, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, swelling, early menopause (may be reversible), the sudden burning of metastases in the bone tissue.

All told, it is necessary to consult with your physician about the combination, as the positive effects of hormone therapy, and side effects. To do this, pay attention to the general condition of the patient, the nature of the tumor, its prevalence, the condition of the menstrual cycle and some other factors. Note that sometimes you have to consult with a doctor several times in order to identify the most suitable for your type of hormone therapy.

Changes in the body that occur with hormone therapy are similar to those that come with menopause. The same applies to the side effects of this treatment for breast cancer. These manifestations occur in almost half of women:

• Early menopause (this effect may be reversible after hormone replacement therapy),
  
• Hot flushes,
  
• Weight gain or swelling,
  
• Vaginal dryness,
  
• Changes in mood,
  
• Depression.

Each woman brings her hormone therapy. And over time the number and severity of these symptoms can vary. These symptoms depend on whether the woman in pre-menopausal or menopause and it has already come, and how rapidly declining levels of estrogen in the blood. The most rapidly declining levels of estrogen in the removal of the ovaries. Often this category of patients observed intense symptoms of menopause. This is especially true for those women whose menopause occurred even during chemotherapy, and then they went on hormone treatment, resulting in estrogen levels decrease even more.

If you have been in menopause, when hormone therapy appointment you initially reduced levels of estrogen in the body. Acceptance of aromatase inhibitors to reduce this level even more, resulting in the symptoms of menopause are likely to worsen.

Tamoxifen is different from all other preparations of hormone therapy because it has weak estrogen effects in other areas of the body including the brain. Pituitary hormones (an important component of the brain) is responsible for regulating the temperature in the body. Tamoxifen leads to a violation of this regulation, resulting in an increase in temperature, known as hot flashes. This effect is especially pronounced in tamoxifen compared with aromatase inhibitors.

Early menopause

In some cases, patients taking hormonal drugs, say stopping the menstrual cycle. This may be temporary or permanent (ie irreversible). If prior to taking hormones you had a normal menstrual cycle, and while he stopped taking the medication, perhaps in time he will resume after the end of treatment. The normal menopause at the age of 51 - 52 years.

Therefore, if a woman was going to be in menopause and she started hormone therapy, menopause, she will start a little earlier than usual. In addition, you should pay attention to the fact that hormone therapy usually lasts for five years and sometimes longer. During this period, is the process of aging, which affects the ovaries. This leads to a decrease in ovarian hormones stimulate the pituitary gland. This is a natural reduction in estrogen levels is not associated with the effect of hormone replacement therapy.

Hot flushes

Hot flashes occur in approximately half of patients receiving hormonal treatment. It is connected with the violation of thermoregulation in the body, which occurs at lower levels of estrogen in the blood or the blockade of estrogen receptors. Note that this effect is usually expressed moderate and can be overcome. They are certainly unpleasant, are not dangerous. Most patients consider the most unpleasant flushing side effects of hormonal treatment. So they try to somehow deal with this problem. Over time, this effect becomes less pronounced.

To cope with this problem you can take some drugs, for example, low doses of antidepressants, as well as some other medications. Among them - drugs such as Effexor and Paxil. In one small study found that a drug like gabapentin - a drug that is used to treat seizures - can significantly reduce the severity of hot flashes in women taking tamoxifen. So if you are so much concerned about the tides, it is necessary to speak on this matter with your doctor.

If, as you are taking hormone therapy with tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors, and this is accompanied by hot flashes, you can ask your doctor whether you can stop treatment at one - two weeks, and then continue taking a lower dose and gradually increasing it as necessary. This helps your body to better adjust to the medication.

Changes in the vagina

Among the side effects of hormone therapy may also be itching and malodorous vaginal discharge. This is due to the fact that lack of estrogen causes changes in the environment and the microflora of the vagina, and this in turn contributes to the rapid spread of yeast - candida. They are characterized by profuse or moderate whitish discharge, viscous, with mostly creamy consistency. Often, their structure is heterogeneous, with the presence of inclusions cheesy.

In order to reduce the risk of fungal infections of the vagina is recommended regular douching. If at the time of hormone therapy, the patient revealed a yeast infection (thrush), the treatment is usually carried out by means of antifungal antibiotics that can be administered in tablet form (for example, Flucostat), and in the form of creams / ointments, or vaginal suppositories.

Another unpleasant change from the vagina is dry to the mucosa. At the same time in the vagina can accumulate dried vaginal discharge. It sometimes looks like a thrush, but the nature of these precipitates is different. Vaginal dryness leads to pain during sexual intercourse, which can reduce sexual activity. To solve this problem, there are various moisturizers in the form of creams. In addition, one of the ways out of this situation may be having sex regularly. When you regularly have sex, you get more moisture.

Continuation of an intimate relationship is an important factor in preventing the thinning and drying of the vaginal mucosa.

Nausea and vomiting

These side effects occur in 10% of patients, usually expressed in moderately and stop for a few weeks. This is a benign manifestation of hormone therapy, but still pretty unpleasant.

When expressed forms recommended taking antiemetics.

The increase in body weight

Many women during chemotherapy there is an increase in body weight, which is often associated with taking steroids. This effect may continue after chemotherapy at the time of hormonal treatment. Patients with this confident that the cause of weight gain is taking hormones.

However, during the study, conducted jointly by American and Canadian scientists (NSABP), found that patients who received placebo instead of the hormones also noted an increase in body weight, as well as those who took tamoxifen.

The reasons for this increase in weight may be different:

• Weight gain may be at the time of chemotherapy to hormonal therapy.
  
• Reduced physical activity and metabolic changes during menopause.
  
• Smoking cessation and as a consequence of frequent meals.
  

If within the first six months of starting hormone therapy, you do not have an increase in body weight, it is likely you will not encounter this problem. Some women during hormonal treatment on the contrary, lose weight, while those who got it, it gradually lost.

Mood swings and depression

Sometimes during hormone replacement therapy in women may experience some mood swings, but it is unclear what is their reason: hormones or any other.

This problem was also studied by American and Canadian scientists (NSABP) and they showed that women taking tamoxifen incidence of mood changes was not higher compared with those receiving placebo.

But whatever the cause of this depression, it can not be ignored. And depending on the severity, it may require either psychotherapy or medication. In any case, it should deal with the doctor. One way out of this situation may be temporary discontinuation of hormonal therapy or a reduction in their dose. This may somehow reduce the severity of depression, but does not solve the problem completely.

As a medical tool to combat depression, antidepressants may be. In some cases, may even be observed in panic attacks.

Collapse

While hormone replacement therapy may experience loss of strength, which in principle is characteristic of the natural menopause. However, as the reasons for this effect can provide a list. Reduced physical activity, weight gain, hot flashes, fear, anxiety and depression - these are the factors that can cause fatigue.

The sudden burning sensation when bone metastases

While hormone replacement therapy in patients with metastases in the bone immediately after initiation of treatment may experience sudden bouts of burning. This is associated with tumor response to the lack of estrogen. Although this is a bad effect, it is an indication that the treatment is working. Otmetim that such burning pain do not occur in all patients, and it does not mean that treatment has no effect. To cope with this problem can help painkillers.