INFLUENCE OF DROLOXIFENE ON METASTATIC BREAST-CANCER AS FIRST-LINE ENDOCRINE TREATMENT

The effect of droloxifene (3-hydroxytamoxifen) given as first-line end ocrine treatment was evaluated in 39 postmenopausal women with advance d receptor-positive or receptor-unknown breast cancer. The patients ha d not received any previous anticancer therapy apart from adjuvant tre atment. The overall response rate (CR + PR) was 51% (8% CR, 43% PR), 9 5% confidence interval +/- 15.7%. Median time to progression (all pati ents) was 8 months, the median time to response 2 months, while the me dian duration of response was 10 months. The drug was well tolerated w ith no major side effects recorded; 16% of the patients experienced ho t flushes. The response to droloxifene recorded in the present study i s in accordance with the response rates to tamoxifen as first-line tre atment in identical groups of patients.