title: Efficacy of fulvestrant in heavily pretreated postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer: a preliminary report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fulvestrant, a potent estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist with a novel mechanism of action, has shown efficacy in pretreated patients with advanced breast cancer. We assessed the efficacy and tolerability of fulvestrant in Korean postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of the 25 candidates identified at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, six were deemed ineligible due to inadequate baseline and follow-up imaging. The 19 patients included in this retrospective analysis received the approved dose of fulvestrant (250 mg intramuscular injection, once per month) as second- (n=8), third- (n=7), or fourth-line (n=4) endocrine therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At a median follow-up of 7.4 months (range, 1.2-34.8 months), the 19 patients received a median of four cycles (range, 1-34 cycles) of fulvestrant. Median time to progression was 5.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.4-10.7 months), and median overall survival was 17.9 months (95% CI, 2.7-33.1 months). Among 17 evaluable patients, one (5.3%) achieved a partial response, 10 (52.6%) showed stable disease, and six (31.6%) showed progressive disease. The clinical benefit rate was 26.3%. Four patients (21.1%) reported adverse events, but all were grade 1 or 2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fulvestrant was effective and well tolerated in patients with advanced breast cancer who had been previously treated with several lines of endocrine and chemotherapeutic agents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Changhoon
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Sung-Bae
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin-Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Kyung Hae
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Yongchel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Gyungyub
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Hak-Hee
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hee-Jung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byung-Ho
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Son
authors.forename: Sei-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ahn