Hormonal approaches to the chemoprevention of endocrine-dependent tumors

The estrogen dependency of human breast cancer has been successfully exploi ted in the treatment of early and advanced diseases and provides a unique o pportunity for chemoprevention of this common malignancy. Preliminary resul ts with the antiestrogens Tamoxifen and Raloxifene show an encouraging redu ction in the incidence of breast cancer. Alternative approaches include the use of highly selective and non-toxic aromatase inhibitors and, in premeno pausal women, the use of LHRH agonists in conjunction with the administrati on of small doses of estrogen and progesterone. The rationale for these che mopreventive strategies and their possible limitations are briefly discusse d.