Breast cancer chemoprevention: beyond tamoxifen.
A large number of new potential chemoprevention agents are available that target molecular abnormalities found in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative and/or ER-positive precancerous breast tissue and have side effect profiles that differ from tamoxifen. Classes of agents currently undergoing evaluation in clinical prevention trials or those for which testing is planned in the near future include new selective ER modulators, aromatase inactivators/inhibitors, gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists, monoterpenes, isoflavones, retinoids, rexinoids, vitamin D derivatives, and inhibitors of tyrosine kinase, cyclooxygenase-2, and polyamine synthesis. New clinical testing models will use morphological and molecular biomarkers to select candidates at highest short-term risk, to predict the response to a particular class of agent, and to assess the response in phase II prevention trials. If validated, morphological and molecular markers could eventually replace cancer incidence as an indicator of efficacy in future phase III trials.
University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160-7320, USA. cfabian@kumc.edu
C J
CJ
Fabian
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020849:Raloxifene Hydrochloride / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012176:Retinoids; D020845:Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D012176:Retinoids; D020845:Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators; D013629:Tamoxifen; D020849:Raloxifene Hydrochloride