Adjuvant Hormone Therapy: State of the Art

作者：Comen Elizabeth A^*

来源：Oncology, 2009, 23(11): 36-43.

Ushering in the era of personalized medicine, research centered on targeted therapies has dramatically impacted cancer treatment and, in turn, refocused drug development in the last 10 years. For the last 4 decades, however, endocrine therapy has been the foundation of breast cancer treatment in the adjuvant setting. Tamoxifen, aimed at blocking the estrogen receptor, has been the mainstay for treating estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. More recently, aromatase inhibitors have emerged as a new class of medications targeting not the estrogen receptor, but the production of estrogen itself. While tamoxifen remains the standard of care for premenopausal women, recent studies have shown the superiority of aromatase inhibitors in postmenopausal women. Questions remain, however, as to the optimal duration of endocrine therapy as well as the sequence of their delivery. This review will examine the recent trials establishing the standard of care for adjuvant hormonal therapy in both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer.

• 出版日期2009-10