title: [Developments of hormonal agents for breast cancer].
abstract: Endocrine therapy for breast cancer, which began with ovariectomy, has a history of more than 100 years. Tamoxifen has been an epoch-making drug during the late 20th century. Recently LHRH analogues which work as downregulators of estrogen production and many aromatase inhibitors (AI), both non-steroidal and steroidal have been developed in Japan. Fadrozole was the only AI until anastrozole was approved a few months ago. Letrozole was shown to be a better AI than fadrozole by prospective randomized double blind examination; however, it is not licenced yet. The reason is that the appropriate dosage is not identical to that of Western countries. We have reached a time when order-made medicine should take into consideration such differences as race and individuality.
authors.affiliation: Breast Cancer Center Toyosu Hospital, Showa University School of Medicine, 4-1-18 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tominaga
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000077384:Anastrozole; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D000077267:Fulvestrant; D006801:Humans; D000077289:Letrozole; D008875:Middle Aged; D009570:Nitriles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014230:Triazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists; D009570:Nitriles; D014230:Triazoles; D013629:Tamoxifen; D000077267:Fulvestrant; D000077384:Anastrozole; D004958:Estradiol; D000077289:Letrozole