Anastrozole as aromatase inhibitor – new approaches to breast cancer treatment in postmenopausal women

Abstract

Introduction .Anastrozole is a chemotherapeutic drug used to treat breast cancer in postmenopausal women. The condition for success of this type of treatment is the presence of estrogen receptors in cancer cells. Anastrozole belongs to strong-acting, nonsteroidal inhibitors of aromatase, which is responsible for androgen-estrogen conversion process. The metabolism of this drug is based on biotransformation both in phase I and II. Initially it metabolizes in the liver with cytochrome P450 isoenzymes, followed by a glucuronidation reaction catalyzed by the UGT1A4 enzyme. Material and method . In order to minimize the side effects, new therapeutic approaches are sought to increase the success of the therapy. Conclusions . Biodegradable nano-tools that deliver anastrozole to the target site with an increase in its half-life to 144 hours are a promising method. A similar effect can be achieved by using a transdermal anastrozole administration system, which is a completely non-invasive method of treatment. NOWOTWORY J Oncol 2019; 69, 1: 26-35

Genetic Polymorphisms of the Efflux Transporter Gene ABCB1 and Their Effects on the Anastrozole Response in Iraqi Breast Cancer Patients

“…The association between the genetic polymorphisms in ABCB1 and the elevation in serum levels of CA15.3 was determined by using odds ratios (Table (5)). For both SNPs, there was a nonsignificant association (p> 0.05) between ABCB1 gene polymorphisms and the elevation in CA15.3.…”

“…Because of the role of estrogen in carcinogenesis, hormonal therapy targeted at decreasing estrogen production or its action has been applied in various ways to manage BC (3) . Decreasing the quantity of estrogen by inhibiting its production can be achieved with aromatase inhibitors (AIs), such as anastrozole (5) . Anastrozole is a nonsteroidal inhibitor that inhibits aromatase enzyme competitively by binding to the heme group of the enzyme, thus decreasing estrogen biosynthesis in the breast and periphery (6) .…”