The breast and cancer

You have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Now what? First things first — take a deep breath. Second, learn all you can.

The breast

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Empower yourself with knowledge. It is a valuable weapon in the fight against breast cancer — and in helping to reduce the risk of it returning. In this section, you will find a wealth of information about:

The breast
Learn about the biology of this part of your body.
Performing a breast self-exam
Breast self-exams can enable the early detection of breast cancer. Learn to do them properly.
Breast cancer
What exactly is breast cancer and what are the different kinds? Learn more.
Stages of breast cancer
Learn how breast cancer progresses.
Understanding your pathology report
Do these reports seem like they’re written in a foreign language? This page will help you decipher the jargon.
Treatments
Learn about the spectrum of treatments and therapies available.
Understanding the risk of recurrence
Even after successful treatment, breast cancer can come back. Learn how to help reduce your risk of recurrence.

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Important Information About ARIMIDEX

ARIMIDEX is approved for adjuvant treatment (treatment following surgery with or without radiation) of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer.

ARIMIDEX is approved for the initial treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive or hormone receptor-unknown locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer and for the treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer that has progressed following treatment with tamoxifen. Patients with hormone receptor-negative disease and patients who did not previously respond to tamoxifen therapy rarely responded to ARIMIDEX.

Important Safety Information About ARIMIDEX

Prescription ARIMIDEX is only for postmenopausal women. ARIMIDEX should not be taken if you are pregnant because it may harm your unborn child.

In the early breast cancer clinical trial, the most common side effects seen with ARIMIDEX include hot flashes, joint symptoms, weakness, mood changes, pain, sore throat, nausea and vomiting, depression, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, swelling of arms/legs, and headache. Fractures (including fractures of the spine, hip, and wrist) occurred more frequently with ARIMIDEX than with tamoxifen (10% vs 7%).

In advanced breast cancer trials, the most common side effects seen with ARIMIDEX versus tamoxifen include hot flashes, nausea, decreased energy and weakness, pain, back pain, bone pain, and increased cough. Joint pain/stiffness has been reported in association with the use of ARIMIDEX.

ARIMIDEX should not be taken with tamoxifen or estrogen-containing therapies.

Please click here for full Prescribing Information.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

This site is intended for US consumers/patients. If you are a non-US consumer/patient, click here.

ARIMIDEX is a registered trademark and IN YOUR CORNER is a trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies.

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