Will the experience with tamoxifen in breast cancer help define the role of antiandrogens in prostate cancer?

Breast and prostate cancers are the two predominant hormone-responsive tumo urs. The use of the antioestrogen tamoxifen in the treatment of breast canc er has evolved over the past 30y from treatment for advanced breast cancer to prevention. Tamoxifen is currently the endocrine treatment of choice for advanced breast cancer and for adjuvant therapy in a broad spectrum of wom en whose primary tumours have functional oestrogen receptors. It has also b een shown to reduce the incidence of breast cancer in high-risk women. Nons teroidal antiandrogen therapy is used in the treatment of prostate cancer, but its role is still being defined. The clinical development of tamoxifen and that of the antiandrogens are reviewed and parallels are uncovered whic h provide insight into contemporary and future management of hormone-respon sive prostate cancer.