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Is There An Alternative For Chemo Therapy When Suffering From Breast Cancer?
Question: I am looking for alternatives to the chemo therapy for breast cancer.
Brief Answer:
Alternative to chemo therapy for breast cancer.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thank you for your query. I can understand your concerns.
Endocrine Therapy is an alternative to chemo therapy for breast cancer.
Normal breast tissue is estrogen dependent. Both primary and metastatic breast cancer may retain this phenotype.
The best means of ascertaining whether a breast cancer is hormone dependent is through analysis of estrogen and progesterone receptor levels on the tumor.
Tumors that are positive for the estrogen receptor and negative for the progesterone receptor have a response rate of ~30%.
Tumors that have both receptors have a response rate approaching 70%.
If neither receptor is present, the objective response rates are <5%.
Receptor analyses provide information as to the correct ordering of endocrine therapies as opposed to chemotherapy.
Because of their lack of toxicity and because some patients whose receptor analyses are reported as negative respond to endocrine therapy, an endocrine treatment should be attempted in virtually every patient with metastatic breast cancer.
In most patients, the initial endocrine therapy should be an aromatase inhibitor rather than tamoxifen
Newer "pure" antiestrogens that are free of agonistic effects are also effective.
It is not uncommon for patients to respond to two or three sequential endocrine therapies; however, combination endocrine therapies do not appear to be superior to individual agents, and combinations of chemotherapy with endocrine therapy are not useful.
The median survival of patients with metastatic disease is approximately 2 years, and many patients, particularly older persons and those with hormone-dependent disease, may respond to endocrine therapy for 3–5 years or longer.
Regards
Dr. T.K. Biswas M.D. XXXXXXX
Alternative to chemo therapy for breast cancer.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thank you for your query. I can understand your concerns.
Endocrine Therapy is an alternative to chemo therapy for breast cancer.
Normal breast tissue is estrogen dependent. Both primary and metastatic breast cancer may retain this phenotype.
The best means of ascertaining whether a breast cancer is hormone dependent is through analysis of estrogen and progesterone receptor levels on the tumor.
Tumors that are positive for the estrogen receptor and negative for the progesterone receptor have a response rate of ~30%.
Tumors that have both receptors have a response rate approaching 70%.
If neither receptor is present, the objective response rates are <5%.
Receptor analyses provide information as to the correct ordering of endocrine therapies as opposed to chemotherapy.
Because of their lack of toxicity and because some patients whose receptor analyses are reported as negative respond to endocrine therapy, an endocrine treatment should be attempted in virtually every patient with metastatic breast cancer.
In most patients, the initial endocrine therapy should be an aromatase inhibitor rather than tamoxifen
Newer "pure" antiestrogens that are free of agonistic effects are also effective.
It is not uncommon for patients to respond to two or three sequential endocrine therapies; however, combination endocrine therapies do not appear to be superior to individual agents, and combinations of chemotherapy with endocrine therapy are not useful.
The median survival of patients with metastatic disease is approximately 2 years, and many patients, particularly older persons and those with hormone-dependent disease, may respond to endocrine therapy for 3–5 years or longer.
Regards
Dr. T.K. Biswas M.D. XXXXXXX
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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