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Neoadjuvant Hormonal Therapy in Breast Cancer

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Abstract

Estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and HER-2-negative breast cancers have various types and, consequently, different treatment modalities. In the treatment of locally advanced breast cancer, there are two options: chemotherapy or hormonal therapy. Chemotherapy can be toxic for postmenopausal elderly patients, and neoadjuvant hormonal therapy is an option for hormone receptor-positive locally advanced postmenopausal breast cancer. Such a treatment is also highly beneficial for patients with comorbidities. This treatment can be tamoxifen or steroidal or nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors (AI). The best activities in clinical trials are observed with aromatase inhibitors. Neoadjuvant hormonotherapy is associated with good response rates as well as adequate downstaging of tumor size, and breast-conserving surgery may even become an option. The optimal duration of such a treatment should not be less than 4 months and may be as long as 8 months. Recently, new antihormonal therapies are being used for this purpose. There are no studies showing benefits of neoadjuvant endocrine therapy in premenopausal patients.

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Mandel, N.M., Selcukbiricik, F. (2019). Neoadjuvant Hormonal Therapy in Breast Cancer. In: Aydiner, A., Igci, A., Soran, A. (eds) Breast Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16792-9_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16792-9_14

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