Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0851184 (thinning)
 11,252 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A clinician's view of the menopause describes the condition and its treatment in some patients. The symptoms of the menopause include hot flushes, dryness of the vagina, osteoporosis, and a thinning of the epidermis. There are many nonspecific symptoms frequently blamed on the menopause but are unrelated to hormonal imbalance. However, estrogen therapy can create a general feeling of well-being which can relieve other discomforts. Many women dread the end to their menstrual function. Some do find that they are released from the worry over pregnancy and can be more relaxed. Menopause usually occurs over an extended period of time. The last menstruation after an interval of 12 months is considered to be the menopause. The general practitioner should be availabel to discuss menopause although menopausal clinics are being established as well. Hormone therapy can help the woman with extreme symptoms.
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PMID:A clinician's view. 95 91

Goserelin is a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue which, during continuous administration, down-regulates the pituitary-ovarian gonadal axis and reduces levels of the gonadotrophins, luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. In women, this results in suppression of ovarian steroidogenesis and a decline in estrogen to levels similar to those observed after menopause or following surgical oophorectomy. Thus, goserelin has a useful role in the management of some benign estrogen-dependent gynaecological disorders. Goserelin is available as a biodegradable sustained release depot 3.6mg injection which is administered every 28 days. In women with endometriosis, monthly injections of depot goserelin were effective in achieving resolution of endometriotic implants and in improving pelvic symptoms, including pain and dyspareunia. Randomised clinical comparisons of depot goserelin with danazol indicate that goserelin is at least as effective as danazol and is better tolerated in the treatment of endometriosis. In the management of uterine leiomyomata (fibroids), goserelin depot injections reduce uterine size and the size of uterine leiomyomata, with maximum clinical benefit achieved approximately 3 to 4 months after initiation of treatment. When used as an adjunctive pretreatment for women undergoing surgical removal of uterine leiomyomata, goserelin was associated with technically easier surgical procedures, reduced intraoperative blood loss and reduced transfusion requirements around the time of surgery. As an alternative to surgery, therapeutic use of goserelin is limited by the rapid regrowth of leiomyomata following cessation of treatment. However, goserelin may be a useful treatment for women approaching menopause, in whom uterine leiomyomata shrink naturally as endogenous estrogen levels decline. In women with dysfunctional uterine bleeding, treatment with depot goserelin before surgery facilitates resection and ablative procedures by suppressing endometrial growth and thinning the endometrial mucosa. Goserelin is also an effective alternative to surgery in this patient group. As adjuvant therapy for women undergoing assisted reproduction procedures, goserelin is associated with reduced cycle cancellation rates and with an increase in the rate of oocyte retrieval. The tolerability profile of goserelin is characterised by adverse effects typical of hypoestrogenism, including hot flushes, loss of libido and loss of bone mineral density. However, concomitant 'add-back' hormone replacement therapy appears to effectively reduce these hypoestrogenic symptoms. In summary, the availability of depot goserelin has broadened the spectrum of effective treatments for benign estrogen-dependent gynaecological disorders. As goserelin is effective as a sustained release depot formulation suitable for administration on a monthly basis, it is also a convenient and practical treatment choice.
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PMID:Goserelin. A review of its pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties, and therapeutic use in benign gynaecological disorders. 880 70

Letrozole (Femara), a nonsteroidal, third-generation aromatase inhibitor administered orally once daily, has shown efficacy in the treatment of postmenopausal women with early-stage or advanced, hormone-sensitive breast cancer. In early-stage disease, extending adjuvant endocrine therapy with letrozole (beyond the standard 5-year period of tamoxifen) improved disease-free survival; compared with placebo there was a 43% relative reduction in disease recurrences or new contralateral breast tumours at a median follow-up of 2.4 years. The results of 4 months' neoadjuvant treatment with letrozole or tamoxifen in postmenopausal women with untreated primary disease favour letrozole. In advanced breast cancer, letrozole was superior to tamoxifen as first-line treatment; time to disease progression was significantly longer (9.4 vs 6.0 months, p < 0.0001) and objective response rate was significantly greater with letrozole, but median overall survival was similar between groups. For second-line therapy of advanced breast cancer that had progressed on antiestrogen therapy, letrozole showed efficacy equivalent to that of anastrozole and similar to or better than that of megestrol acetate. Letrozole is generally well tolerated and has a similar tolerability profile to tamoxifen; the most common treatment-related adverse events were hot flushes, nausea and hair thinning. In patients with tumours that had progressed on antiestrogen therapy, letrozole was tolerated as least as well as, or better than, anastrozole or megestrol acetate. In the trial of extended adjuvant therapy, adverse events reported more frequently with letrozole than placebo were hot flushes, arthralgia, myalgia and arthritis. The long-term effects of letrozole on bone mineral density or lipid profile have not been determined and these parameters may require monitoring. In several pharmacoeconomic modelling studies from various public healthcare system perspectives, letrozole was considered a cost effective choice for first-line (vs tamoxifen) or second-line (vs megestrol acetate) treatment for advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women. In conclusion, letrozole 2.5 mg/day is effective in the treatment of postmenopausal women with early-stage or advanced breast cancer. The efficacy, cost effectiveness and favourable tolerability profile of letrozole are reflected in current treatment guidelines recommending the drug as first-line therapy for advanced breast cancer. Letrozole is superior to tamoxifen for first-line treatment and is at least as effective as standard second-line treatments in disease that has progressed on antiestrogen therapy. For early-stage disease, letrozole is superior to tamoxifen in the neoadjuvant setting, and prolongs disease-free survival when administered after the standard 5-year period of adjuvant tamoxifen therapy.
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PMID:Letrozole: a review of its use in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. 1516 28