Tamoxifen. Use in treatment of metastatic breast cancer refractory to combination chemotherapy
S. S. Legha, A. U. Buzdar, G. N. Hortobagyi, C. Wiseman, R. S. Benjamin and G. R. Blumenschein
Tamoxifen citrate (Nolvadex [Great Britain]; no comparable US product) is a
recently developed antiestrogen with significant activity against
metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women. We investigated its
usefulness in breast cancer patients after conventional endocrine therapy
and combination chemotherapy had failed. Of the 50 evaluable patients, four
(8%) achieved a complete remission, 14 (28%) achieved a partial remission,
and ten showed a less than partial response or stabilization of their
disease. Median duration of response was eight months, and the survival of
responders was significantly prolonged compared to that of the
nonresponders. Side effects of the treatment were mild. These results
demonstrate that tamoxifen offers the best choice of therapy for patients
with metastatic breast cancer after conventional endocrine therapy and
combination chemotherapy have failed.
