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Ablative procedures in patients with metastatic breast carcinoma
Author(s) -
Wells Samuel A.,
Santen Richard J.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19840201)53:3+<762::aid-cncr2820531326>3.0.co;2-w
Subject(s) - medicine , aminoglutethimide , oophorectomy , tamoxifen , hypophysectomy , breast cancer , metastatic carcinoma , antiestrogen , adrenalectomy , carcinoma , breast carcinoma , oncology , metastatic breast cancer , surgery , cancer , hormone , hysterectomy , aromatase
Abstract The ability to determine the content of sex steroid receptors in breast carcinoma cells has markedly enhanced the clinician's ability to predict the response to hormonal therapy in patients with metastatic breast carcinoma. Formerly the surgical ablation of endocrine organs (hypophysectomy, adrenalectomy, and oophorectomy) was used as the initial therapy in many patients with metastatic breast carcinoma. Currently, however, only oophorectomy is employed as the initial treatment of choice in patients with recurrent breast carcinoma, and its use is exclusively limited to premenopausal or perimenopausal patients whose tumors are estrogen‐receptor positive. The decreased utilization of surgical ablative procedures is primarily due to the introduction into clinical practice of two pharmacologic agents, the antiestrogen, tamoxifen, and the adrenal blocking agent, aminoglutethimide. When administered to postmenopausal patients with metastatic breast carcinoma, these pharmacologic agents induce remissions as frequently as do surgical ablative procedures; however, their use is associated with distinctly less morbidity and virtually no mortality.