Dixon J Michael
Edinburgh Breast Unit, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK.
Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2006 Jun;6(6):849-59. doi: 10.1586/14737140.6.6.849.
Patients with all stages of primary breast cancer are at continuing risk of relapse following 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen therapy, even in the absence of lymph node involvement. Tamoxifen has been the standard therapy for reducing risk of recurrence, although more than 50% of relapses and deaths occur after completion of tamoxifen. Tamoxifen use is associated with an increased risk of serious side effects, and extended use beyond 5 years may have a negative impact on disease-free survival. Extended adjuvant letrozole therapy confers a significant benefit in relapse-free survival. The approval of letrozole for this indication in the USA and in many European countries introduces a new, safe and effective treatment for disease-free patients seeking to reduce their long-term risk of recurrence.
即使没有淋巴结受累，处于原发性乳腺癌各阶段的患者在接受5年辅助性他莫昔芬治疗后仍有持续复发的风险。他莫昔芬一直是降低复发风险的标准疗法，尽管超过50%的复发和死亡发生在他莫昔芬治疗结束后。使用他莫昔芬会增加严重副作用的风险，超过5年的延长使用可能会对无病生存期产生负面影响。延长辅助性来曲唑治疗在无复发生存期有显著益处。来曲唑在美国和许多欧洲国家获批用于该适应症，为寻求降低长期复发风险的无病患者引入了一种新的、安全有效的治疗方法。
