[Fulvestrant (Faslodex®) for hormone sensitive breast cancer. A review]

Endocrine agents are well established standards of care in hormone-sensitive postmenopausal breast cancer. The pure estrogen receptor antagonist (down-regulator) fulvestrant after binding to the ER induces its conformational change which disrupts ER signal and accelerates ER degradation. Fulvestrant is devoid of partial agonist activity. In unselected patients there was no difference in TTP between "standard dose" fulvestrant and aromatase inhibitors, but in first-line treatment of advanced breast cancer the elevated dose of fulvestrant may delay progression and may extend the overall survival compared with aromatase inhibitors.