title: Endocrine therapy in metastatic breast cancer: data from Breast Cancer Registry of Palermo, 1999-2005 .
abstract: This study compares the survival of breast cancer patients who are metastatic at diagnosis (DMBC) and of recurrent metastatic breast cancer (RMBC) patients. We analyzed retrospectively the population-based data of Breast Cancer Registry of Palermo and collected a total of 4459 breast cancer cases in the years 1999-2005. Survival analysis did not show statistically significant differences between DMBC and RMBC patients (P= 0.882). Endocrine manipulation is the treatment of choice in the case of hormone receptor-positive breast tumors. In 91 receptor-positive DMBC patients the endocrine treatment was associated with a prolonged overall survival (OS) (median survival 33.5 months compared to 29 months for receptor-positive patients who did not receive hormone treatment). Receptor-negative patients who underwent endocrine therapy (76% of cases) survived longer than receptor-negative patients who did not receive hormone treatment (median survival 28.5 months vs. 15 months, respectively). This evidence supports the concept that endocrine therapies impinging upon molecular targets other than hormone receptors may increase survival rates of breast cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Palermo Breast Cancer Registry and Experimental Oncology Unit, Department of Oncology, ARNAS-Civico, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amodio
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zarcone
authors.forename: Biagio
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Agostara
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Staiti
authors.forename: Orazia Maria
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Granata
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carruba
authors.forename: Adele
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Traina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis