title: The renaissance of endocrine therapy in breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Endocrine therapy for breast cancer has been the cornerstone of treatment for over a century since the discovery of the regressive effect of oophorectomy on 'cancer of the mamma' in 1896 by Beatson. Studies in the prevention and treatment of both early and metastatic breast cancer will be reviewed with a focus on recent large randomized clinical trials that may be practice changing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data from pivotal clinical trials that looked at the duration of adjuvant tamoxifen therapy in premenopausal women will be discussed. In addition, several recent clinical trials that address the optimal sequence of endocrine therapy and advances in the treatment of endocrine-resistant metastatic disease will be reviewed. New findings from molecular studies that demonstrate targets in the endocrine axis and the role of aromatase inhibitors in the prevention setting will be highlighted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, these clinical trials show the benefit of aromatase inhibitors in the prevention setting, longer duration of tamoxifen in the adjuvant setting for premenopausal women, and new biologic agents with hormonal therapies.
authors.affiliation: aSeidman Cancer Center, University Hospitals of Case Western Cleveland bDivision of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Lyndsay N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000730:Androstadienes / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004958:Estradiol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005260:Female; D000077267:Fulvestrant; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010052:Ovariectomy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000730:Androstadienes; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D013629:Tamoxifen; D000077267:Fulvestrant; D004958:Estradiol; C056516:exemestane