Clinical aspects of endocrine therapy of early breast cancer in postmenopausal women

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed type of cancer among women, both in developed and developing regions. The majority of patients is postmenopausal at diagnosis and has hormone sensitive tumours, implying that patients may benefit from endocrine therapy, both in curative and in metastatic setting. In the last twenty-five years, the treatment of patients with hormone-sensitive early breast cancer has largely changed as more treatment options became available, while over the last decade more tailored treatment was aimed at. This has resulted in an improved prognosis.2-4 Nevertheless, part of breast cancer patients will develop recurrent disease, especially late recurrences can occur in hormone sensitive disease while the various therapies may be associated with side effects which can affect quality of life. The research described in this thesis was designed to gain further insight in optimal treatment of early breast cancer patients, especially in postmenopausal women with hormone sensitive tumours.