eMedicine from WebMD
eMedicine Home
Developed under the direction and sponsorship of Pfizer Inc. Contains promotional material meant for healthcare professionals.


Ongoing Clinical Research with AROMASIN
Clinical trials with exemestane in breast cancer currently enrolling patients

Burden of Breast Cancer
Approximately 3 million women in the US are living with breast cancer
Full Presribing Information
Intergroup Exemestane Study (IES): A Large Landmark Switch Trial
Switching to AROMASIN® after 2 to 3 years improves disease-free survival vs continuing on tamoxifen

Hormonal Therapy Strategy for Postmenopausal Women with ER+ Breast Cancer
Blocking estrogen synthesis is a logical target for estrogen-sensitive breast cancer

Patient Profile: AROMASIN® vs Megestrol Acetate in Postmenopausal Women with Advanced Breast Cancer Patients treated with AROMASIN® had a higher objective response rate compared with megestrol acetate (15% vs 12%)

AROMASIN® Is Generally Well Tolerated
Adverse events are usually mild to moderate in postmenopausal women treated with AROMASIN.


AROMASIN® (exemestane tablets)

AROMASIN is indicated for adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive early breast cancer who have received 2 to 3 years of tamoxifen and are switched to AROMASIN for completion of a total of 5 consecutive years of adjuvant hormonal therapy.

AROMASIN is indicated for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women whose disease has progressed following tamoxifen therapy.

Important Safety Information

AROMASIN (exemestane tablets) should not be used in women who are premenopausal, are nursing or pregnant, have a known hypersensitivity to the drug, or are taking estrogen-containing agents.

Dose modification is recommended for patients who are receiving certain medications, including strong CYP 3A4 inducers such as rifampicin and phenytoin.

In patients with early breast cancer, elevations in bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and creatinine were more common in those receiving exemestane than either tamoxifen or placebo.

Reductions in bone mineral density over time are seen with AROMASIN use.

Incidence of adverse events (AEs; %) occurring in ≥10% of patients in any treatment group (AROMASIN vs tamoxifen) in the Intergroup Exemestane Study (IES): hot flushes (21.2 vs 19.9), fatigue (16.1 vs 14.7), arthralgia (14.6 vs 8.6), headache (13.1 vs 10.8), insomnia (12.4 vs 8.9), and increased sweating (11.8 vs 10.4).

In IES, discontinuation rate due to AEs was similar between AROMASIN and tamoxifen (6.3% vs 5.1%). Incidence of cardiac ischemic events (myocardial infarction, angina, and myocardial ischemia): AROMASIN 1.6%, tamoxifen 0.6%. Incidence of cardiac failure: AROMASIN 0.4%, tamoxifen 0.3%.

Most common adverse events reported for advanced breast cancer were mild to moderate and included hot flashes (13%), nausea (9%), fatigue (8%), increased sweating (4%), and increased appetite (3%).