Introduction to sessions on guidelines and endocrine therapy, the influence of breast screening on number of mastectomies and the challenge between molecular science and traditional dogma in the treatment of breast cancer. Introduction to Session 6

Excerpt

The reduction in breast cancer mortality during the past 20 years can be partly explained by increased use of adjuvant endocrine therapy. During recent years a number of studies have explored potential benefits of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) over tamoxifen for postmenopausal women with oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Early results, which reported improved disease-free survival with AIs, led to a recommendation by the American Society of Clinical Oncology technology assessment panel in 2005 that the treatment of these women should include an AI, either as initial (up-front) therapy or following a period of treatment with tamoxifen [1]. Despite the improved disease-free survival with AIs, a recent review of up-front use of AIs failed to show any evidence of significant improvement in overall survival over tamoxifen, or in quality of life, and advised caution for use of this strategy pending future results from the BIG 1-98 clinical trial [2]. …