Faslodex® (fulvestrant)
Alternative brand (trade) names:
What is Faslodex® ?
Faslodex contains the medicine fulvestrant, which belongs to a group of medicines called anti-oestrogens without agonist activity. Faslodex down-regulates the oestrogen receptor.
What is Faslodex® used for?
Faslodex is used to treat locally advanced or metastatic, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women who have been previously treated with anti-oestrogen therapy.
How does Faslodex® work ?
- Oestrogen is a female sex hormone (natural chemical produced by the body) that is known to be able to encourage the growth of some types of breast cancer cells.
- Faslodex stops the action of oestrogen by preventing it from attaching itself (binding) to sites (called receptors) on cancer cells.
- Faslodex also causes a decrease, or downregulation, in oestrogen receptor concentration and causes the receptors to change shape and become less functional; without functioning oestrogen receptors, oestrogen cannot signal the breast cancer cell to grow.
- By stopping the actions of oestrogen, Faslodex is useful in slowing the growth of the tumour and may cause it to shrink.
How is Faslodex® given ?
Faslodex is supplied as a solution for intra-muscular injection.
Country specific information
To consult your local information.
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