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After Breast Cancer: Aromatase Inhibitor Use Linked to Carpal Tunnel

We all know someone who has had breast cancer...and we all know that many of those affected are survivors. That is indeed good news!  And while we are all grateful that advances in treatment have made this possible, cancer survivors have complications due to the disease, or the treatment of the disease,or both,  that go on for years and years.

Aromatase Molecule

One such complication of breast cancer treatment was featured in a study that was recently featured in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.  The study compared incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome in patients prescribed anastrazole (an aromatase inhibitor commonly ordered for breast cancer patients) to placebo.  The incidence of carpal tunnel was four times higher in the anastrazole group!

The study authors believe that there are two important points with respect to their findings:

1)The anti-estrogen effects of aromatase inhibitors may be to blame for the increased incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome.

2) Development of complications such as carpal tunnel syndrome could lead breast cancer patients to become noncompliant with respect to their treatment.

Source: MedPageToday;Wikimedia
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