What Is Fulvestrant Used For?

Fulvestrant is used for the treatment of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. It blocks the action of estrogen receptors in the body, which lowers estrogen production and helps decrease the cancer's growth. On occasion, fulvestrant is used in an off-label fashion to treat breast cancer in premenopausal women. Fulvestrant has not been approved for treating breast cancer in children, adolescents, or men.

 

What Is Fulvestrant Used For? -- An Overview

Fulvestrant (Faslodex®) is a prescription medication used to treat breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Specifically, the drug has been licensed to treat postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer that has become worse while taking another breast cancer hormone treatment.
 

Understanding Breast Cancer

Women in the United States get breast cancer more than any other type of cancer, except for skin cancer. Each year, more than 211,000 American women learn that they have breast cancer. Most causes of breast cancer are not known. In 5 to 10 percent of these cases, there is a hereditary component. Common breast cancer symptoms include:
 
  • A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area
  • A change in how the breast or nipple feels
  • Nipple tenderness
  • A change in how the breast or nipple looks
  • A change in the size or shape of the breast
  • A nipple turned inward into the breast
  • Nipple discharge (fluid).
     
In general, breast cancer treatment options can include:
 
The best treatment can vary, depending on the stage of the breast cancer (see Breast Cancer Treatment by Stage).
 
(What Is Fulvestrant Used For? Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;