title: Aromatase inhibitors as adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women: a therapeutic advance but many unresolved questions.
abstract: Adjuvant hormonal therapy for postmenopausal women with early stage breast cancer has become far more complex over the past several years. This commentary reviews the current status of the five major trials evaluating the use of the aromatase inhibitors in the adjuvant setting. The data currently available suggest that the aromatase inhibitors are efficacious either as upfront therapy or after a course of tamoxifen. Ongoing trials will compare these approaches and guide the use of these agents in the years to come.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. jligibel@partners.org
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ligibel
authors.forename: Eric P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Winer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors