How neoadjuvant endocrine therapy works

Debled et al. of the French Beroni Society reported that neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) is as effective as chemotherapy in the treatment of hormone-sensitive low-grade malignancies. For patients suitable for breast-conserving therapy, endocrine-treated patients had a lower rate of local recurrence. This retrospective study enrolled 204 patients with stage II to IIIA breast cancer ≤80 years of age with tumors >30 mm. These patients were all ER and/or PR positive and were given neoadjuvant endocrine therapy because their tumors were large at initial diagnosis and were not suitable for breast-conserving surgery. 77.5% of patients with T2 and 22.5% of patients with T3 had invasive lobular carcinoma in 7% of cases and invasive ductal carcinoma in 93% of cases. 58% of patients with ER+/PR+, 33% of patients with ER+/PR-, and 9% of patients with ER-/PR+ received triamcinolone acetonide (TCA). More patients were treated with triamcinolone acetonide, 178 patients (88%), while 24 patients (12%) received aromatase inhibitors. The results showed that the median age was 67.3 years (5.4% of non-menopausal patients). There were 101 cases (49%) of breast-conserving surgery, 70 cases of radiotherapy after mastectomy of breast tumors, 7 cases of Patey’s procedure, and 31 cases of radical radiotherapy because of contraindications to surgery, complete remission, and other factors. The median follow-up time was 14 years, and the 5- and 10-year recurrence-free metastasis rates were 78% and 63%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year local recurrence-free rates for patients treated with breast-conserving therapy were 97% and 85%, respectively. As we increasingly choose neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the use of neoadjuvant endocrine therapy should not be overlooked. Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy can achieve efficacy equivalent to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and is more suitable for hormone receptor-positive, older, and less fit patients, so clinical exploration of neoadjuvant endocrine therapy should be actively pursued.