LHRH AGONIST TREATMENT OF BREAST-CANCER AND GYNECOLOGICAL MALIGNANCIES - A REVIEW

Since 1982 LHRH agonists have been used as a treatment modality in pat ients with disseminated breast cancer and gynecologic malignancies, ba sed on the assumption of steroid dependence of these cancers. They hav e been successfully used in the treatment of premenopausal women with breast cancer; response rates reported are 31-63%. Less optimistic res ults have been reported in postmenopausal breast cancer patients as we ll as in the treatment of women suffering from ovarian cancer. Respons e rates for treatment of postmenopausal breast- and ovarian cancer pat ients appear to be up to 22% and 29%, respectively. Studies using LHRH agonists to treat endometrial and cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia are still rare and, until now, no data about the efficacy of LHRH ago nists in treating these malignancies have been reported. This paper re views clinically important studies of LHRH agonists, including a ratio nale for the use of LHRH agonists in breast cancer and gynecological c ancer treatment. In view of the changed endocrine state in postmenopau sal women on the one hand and alterations in endocrine metabolism in b reast cancer tissue on the other hand, it is concluded that it might b e more effective to use a combination of LHRH agonists and other endoc rine modalities to treat disseminated breast cancer and gynecological malignancies.