title: Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy in primary breast cancer: indications and use as a research tool.
abstract: Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy has been increasingly employed in clinical practice to improve surgical options for postmenopausal women with bulky hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Recent studies indicate that tumour response in this setting may predict long-term outcome of patients on adjuvant endocrine therapy, which argues for its broader application in treating hormone receptor-positive disease. From the research perspective, neoadjuvant endocrine therapy provides a unique opportunity for studies of endocrine responsiveness and the development of novel therapeutic agents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chia
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: C X
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017697:Premenopause; D011300:Preoperative Care; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone