Management
of node-postive, ER+ premenopausal patients
Interview
with Neil Love, MD from Breast Cancer Update for Medical Oncologists,
Program 3 2000
Play
Audio Below:
I
think most everybody in this country, in the United States, would
agree that those women are candidates for chemotherapy. Most of
them would get tamoxifen as a matter of routine. And I think the
big question for a lot practitioners in our country is what do you
do with the young woman who is premenopausal at the end of her chemotherapy?
I personally am not using LHRH agonists in this situation right
now, but I must say some of our very good colleagues have looked
at my trial results and sort of put it in the context and said that
they think its a legitimate thing to do. A little bit in this
country, and I think more abroad, is actually the question of whether
or not you need to do the chemo at all. I mean, these particular
women given the fact that there are several international trials
that would suggest Im not sure the statisticians would
allow us to say it - but theres the sense that there might
be equivalence between various chemotherapies, usually CMF based
chemotherapies, and some kind of LHRH agonist with or without tamoxifen.
I think folks are also starting to challenge the question of whether
you absolutely have to give chemotherapy to these women. Its
going to be tough in the U.S. to overcome our bias towards chemotherapy.
Combined
endocrine therapy for breast cancer - New life for an old idea? Davidson, N. E. (Reprint available from: Davidson NE Johns Hopkins
Oncol Ctr 1650 Orleans St,Rm 409 Baltimore, MD 21231 USA). Journal
of the National Cancer Institute 92(11):859-860, 2000 Jun 7. No
abstract
Study
of Tamoxifen in the Prevention of Skeletal and Cardiovascular Morbidity
of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Premenopausal Women With Stage I or
II Breast Cancer