Hormone-dependent breast cancer is a systemic disease, endocrine therapy in the treatment of breast cancer plays an important role. Patients with breast cancer endocrine therapy is now used mainly drug treatment.
Endocrine therapy for breast cancer patients have the following functions:
1. As postoperative adjuvant therapy for breast cancer patients can effectively reduce the relapse rate of patients and mortality.
2. Endocrine therapy mainly through interference with or dispel the effect of estrogen, inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells, no inhibitory effect on normal human tissue and therefore a higher quality of life of patients.
3. Endocrine therapy taking method is simple, side effects, less pain, patients can receive treatment. Of course, endocrine therapy markedly slower, usually 2 to 8 weeks before onset. Sometimes can cause gastrointestinal reactions, facial flushing, thrombosis, side effects, long-term use of tamoxifen with endometrial cancer may be, so during endocrine therapy should be done on a regular basis B ultrasonic examination.
Hormonal therapy commonly used drugs are the following categories:
1. Estrogen antagonists, such as tamoxifen or toremifene and so on.
2. Aromatase inhibitors such as Femara, Ruining De so.
3. Pregnancy hormones, such as medroxyprogesterone acetate, megestrol acetate and so on.
4. Male hormones such as testosterone propionate and so on.
5. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues, such as goserelin and so on.
Endocrine treatment of choice when detection of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR). ER and PR were positive, effective for 50% ~ 70%; ER or PR positive one, there are about 30% efficiency; ER and PR were negative, there are less than 10% efficiency.
With breast cancer hormone receptor in-depth study, we should pay attention to and the rational application of hormonal therapy to improve the survival rate of patients with breast cancer and quality of life.