Aromatase inhibitors and arthralgia: a growing pain?

In the current issue of ONCOLOGY, Henry et al comprehensively review the current state of knowledge regarding the incidence and pathogenesis of aromatase inhibitor (AI)-associated arthralgia, and its potential implications in terms of delivering adequate, effective adjuvant therapy. It has clearly been demonstrated in several large adjuvant trials that the addition or substitution of AIs provides an improved outcome over tamoxifen alone.[1-6] It is also apparent that arthralgia has been much more of a problem in the general population than it at first appeared to be in the clinical trial setting.