Dr. Burstein on Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for ER+ Breast Cancer

Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, senior physician, associate professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses adjuvant endocrine therapy for postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer.

Adjuvant endocrine therapy is the standard for most women who have ER-positive early stage breast cancer. But, for postmenopausal women with ER-positive breast cancer, treatment has historically been tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor. Aromatase inhibitors have been shown to have a slight advantage, says Burstein, specifically in women who have higher-risk biologies.

Anti-estrogen therapy remains a critical therapy for postmenopausal women with ER-positive breast cancer, and progress is being made regarding drug selection and duration of treatment, Burstein adds.