The role of LH-RH analogues in the adjuvant and palliative treatment of breast cancer

Abstract

Ovarian ablation has a long-standing history in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

At the end of the past century, several reports appeared on the beneficial effect of surgical removal of the ovaries in premenopausal women with advanced breast cancer.

Subsequently, this treatment became the standard systemic hormone therapy for such patients.

However, the disadvantage is that only a minority of patients respond, and the remainder suffer unnecessary treatment morbidity.

In a random premenopausal patient population, oophorectomy produced an average 33% objective response rate. In the search for alternatives, analogues of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) have been thoroughly investigated in pre- and postmenopausal women.

The results obtained have established a place for LH-RH agonists in the treatment of premenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer.

In addition, these substances have replaced oophorectomy where indicated in the adjuvant hormonal treatment of premenopausal breast cancer.

About this publication.

- Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of the first-line treatment with somatostatin combined with melatonin, retinoids, vitamin D3, and low doses of cyclophosphamide in 20 cases of breast cancer: a preliminary report;

- The Di Bella Method (DBM) improved survival, objective response and performance status in a retrospective observational clinical study on 122 cases of breast cancer;

- Complete objective response to biological therapy of plurifocal breast carcinoma.