title: [Tamoxifen maintained long-term complete response in an elderly patient with breast cancer].
abstract: The patient was an 82-year-old woman. Three years ago, she was aware of a tumor in her left breast that was gradually increasing in size and bleeding, prompting her to visit our hospital. Ultrasonography showed an irregular and low- echoic mass with a skin ulcer of about 2×2 cm in size in the left breast A area. Skin biopsy examination indicated adenocarcinoma, estrogen receptor-positive, progesterone receptor-positive, and human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2-negative. An overall examination did not show a distant metastasis. We diagnosed left breast cancer (luminal A type) with T4bN0M0, stage IIIB. We administered tamoxifen at a dose of 20 mg/day. After 8 months of tamoxifen treatment, no signs of an apparent mass were observed by palpation and ultrasonography. The effect of tamoxifen was considered a clinical complete response (CR). The patient did not experience any adverse events during treatment. Although CR was maintained for nearly 6 years by continuation of hormone therapy, tumor growth was observed after 6 years and 9 months. We performed partial resection of the left breast under local anesthesia. At present, 3 months after the operation, our patient is alive with no recurrence. We conclude that hormone (tamoxifen) therapy is a useful treatment for elderly postmenopausal woman with estrogen receptor-positive advanced breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Surgical Oncology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aomatsu
authors.forename: Shinichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kashiwagi
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: Tamami
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morisaki
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Hidemi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawajiri
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takashima
authors.forename: Naoyoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Onoda
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Kosei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirakawa
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D013629:Tamoxifen; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D013629:Tamoxifen