New approaches to breast cancer therapy

Breast cancer treatment is a rapidly changing area of oncology, with advances in diagnosis, treatment and prevention reported each year. Endocrine therapy is particularly important in the management of the disease because of its demonstrated efficacy and favorable safety profile. In response to rapidly emerging data, it is therefore crucially important that the positioning of established endocrine treatments is continually reassessed relative to the newer agents, thereby allowing clinical practice to be adapted in a measured and informed manner. This reassessment should also ensure that the broad treatment options (chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and biological therapy) are no longer seen as discrete entities, but rather viewed as being complementary, with each agent used at an appropriate point within a planned, individualized treatment schedule. In this way, the therapeutic options can be refined and adapted to the ultimate benefit of all women with breast cancer.