If I stop taking Anastrozole after 4 years instead of 5, does my chance of cancer recurrence increase?

It is extremely difficult to answer your question, as studies that have used aromatase inhibitors (anastrozole) and other endocrine therapies in women requiring adjuvant breast cancer treatment have done so for 5 years. When these women took the drug for this entire period, a significant reduction in the risk of recurrence and death was achieved (about 40% less risk of recurrence). It is not possible for me to see the increase in risk for women who stopped the drug early.That said, in a study including about 10,000 women, the risk of recurrence decreased significantly during the first 2 years of taking the drug, decreased a little during the next 2 years, and did not decrease after 5 years of taking it.So I recommend that you discuss this with your oncologist or oncology team. It may be possible to complete 5 years of treatment with another drug.Good day,Alexandre Chagnon, pharmacist