Anastrozole

An antineoplastic agent and selective non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor. After the menopause, estradiol is mainly formed from estrone, which is produced in peripheral tissues by the conversion of androstenedione involving the enzyme aromatase. A reduction in circulating estradiol has a therapeutic effect in women with breast cancer. In postmenopausal women, anastrozole at a daily dose of 1 mg reduces estradiol levels by 80%. Anastrozole has no progestogenic, androgenic or oestrogenic activity; at therapeutic doses, it does not affect cortisol or aldosterone secretion.