Open AccessBreast Cancer in Men—Should Aromatase Inhibitors Become First‐Line Hormonal Treatment?
Author(s) -
Nordman Ina C.,
Dalley David N.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the breast journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.533
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1524-4741
pISSN - 1075-122X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1524-4741.2008.00648.x
Subject(s) - medicine , aromatase , tamoxifen , breast cancer , metastatic breast cancer , hormone , oncology , malignancy , cancer , hormonal therapy , estrogen , trastuzumab , exemestane , gynecology
Breast cancer is an uncommon malignancy in men; therefore, the approach to treatment is mostly modeled on that used in females. First‐line use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) is now standard practice in hormone‐sensitive metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal females. However, tamoxifen continues to be regarded as first‐line treatment in hormone‐sensitive male breast cancer. This article reviews the role of second and third generation AIs as first‐ or second‐line hormonal treatment in male patients with metastatic breast cancer. It also explores the potential use of AIs in combination with gonadotropin‐releasing hormone analogs or trastuzumab suggesting that in the future this may prove a useful alternative to tamoxifen.