title: Breast cancer chemoprevention - a vision not yet realized.
abstract: Despite recent advances in the surgical and medical treatment of breast cancer, the number of patients dying from the disease is still high. In addition to improvements of early diagnosis and treatment, the overall mortality of breast cancer could be reduced by means of preventive intervention in both women with particularly normal and with high risk. Preventing the potentially deadly disease is presumably more effective than treatment, for life quality issues as well as for the economic perspective. Chemoprevention though is still a research field with results from large prevention trials being discussed controversially. For women with a defined increased risk for breast cancer, tamoxifen may be a choice for chemoprevention, balancing carefully benefits against risks. With promising results in adjuvant settings, aromatase inhibitors may deliver better prevention treatment options in the future, nevertheless, more research is needed to reliably predict risk on an individual basis in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna General Hospital, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Blaha
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dubsky
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fitzal
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bachleitner-Hofmann
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jakesz
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gnant
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steger
mesh_terms: D000077384:Anastrozole; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000517:prevention & control; D009570:Nitriles / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011788:Quality of Life; D020849:Raloxifene Hydrochloride / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012307:Risk Factors; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014230:Triazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D009570:Nitriles; D014230:Triazoles; D013629:Tamoxifen; D000077384:Anastrozole; D020849:Raloxifene Hydrochloride