Is there a growing role for endocrine therapy in the treatment of breast cancer?

Novel biochemical findings on the molecular mechanisms of estrogen actions may help us to understand some of the unexplained observations seen in brea st cancer treatment and suggest new therapeutic opportunities. Thus, apart from the challenge of improving the clinical treatment of patients with adv anced disease, results from trials in this setting may reveal new therapeut ic principles that may be evaluated in the adjuvant setting. The role of en docrine therapy in metastatic as well as early breast cancer is increasing, and the possibility of improving cure rates for breast cancer by implement ing therapy with novel aromatase inhibitors in the adjuvant setting is exci ting. While the results from prevention trials are most interesting, sugges ting the possibility of reducing breast cancer incidence in high-risk group s, more data are needed before we can decide whether such interventions are warranted in women at high risk of developing breast cancer.