title: A role for the androgen receptor in the treatment of male breast cancer.
abstract: Male breast cancer (BC) is relatively rare, making up less than 1% of all breast cancer cases in the United States. Treatment guidelines for male BC are derived from studies on the treatment of female BC, and are based molecular and clinical characteristics, such as hormone receptor positivity. For female estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancers, the standard of care includes three classes of endocrine therapies: selective estrogen receptor modulators, aromatase inhibitors, and pure anti-estrogens. In contrast to female ER+ breast cancers, there is less known about the optimal treatment for male ER+ BC. Furthermore, in contrast to ER, less is known about the role of the androgen receptor (AR) in male and female BC. We report here the treatment of a 28-year-old man with metastatic AR+, ER+ breast cancer otherwise refractory to chemotherapy, who has had a durable clinical response to hormonal suppression with the combination of aromatase inhibition (Letrozole) in conjunction with a GnRH agonist (Leuprolide).
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Duke Cancer Institute, Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, DUMC 3841, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
authors.forename: Carter T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Durham VA Medical Center, 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC 27705, United States.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Silberman
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Spector
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Duke Cancer Institute, DUMC 103861, Durham, NC 27710, United States. Electronic address: tian.zhang2@dm.duke.edu.
authors.forename: Tian
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018567:Breast Neoplasms, Male / Q000737:chemistry / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: C410798:AR protein, human; D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen
keywords: Androgen receptor; Breast cancer; Hormonal therapy; Male breast cancer