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Breast cancer chemoprevention: beyond tamoxifen

C J Fabian1

  • 1University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160-7320, USA. cfabian@kumc.edu

Breast Cancer Research : BCR
|March 16, 2001
PubMed

Insights

New breast cancer chemoprevention agents target molecular abnormalities and offer alternatives to tamoxifen. Biomarkers will refine patient selection and efficacy assessment in clinical trials.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Emerging chemoprevention agents target molecular abnormalities in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative and ER-positive precancerous breast tissue.
  • These agents possess distinct side effect profiles compared to tamoxifen.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review novel chemoprevention agents and their potential in breast cancer prevention.
  • To discuss the role of biomarkers in optimizing clinical trial design and efficacy assessment.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current and planned clinical prevention trials for breast cancer.
  • Analysis of emerging classes of chemoprevention agents, including selective ER modulators, aromatase inhibitors, and targeted therapies.
  • Evaluation of biomarker strategies for patient selection and response assessment.

Main Results:

  • A diverse array of chemoprevention agents are under investigation, including selective ER modulators, aromatase inactivators, gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists, monoterpenes, isoflavones, retinoids, rexinoids, vitamin D derivatives, and inhibitors of tyrosine kinase, cyclooxygenase-2, and polyamine synthesis.
  • New clinical trial models will incorporate morphological and molecular biomarkers for risk stratification, treatment prediction, and efficacy evaluation.

Conclusions:

  • Validated biomarkers could enhance the precision of breast cancer prevention trials, potentially replacing cancer incidence as a primary endpoint.
  • Novel chemoprevention strategies offer promising alternatives with improved safety and efficacy profiles.

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