Estrogen as therapy for breast cancer

High-dose estrogen was generally considered the endocrine therapy of choice for postmenopausal women with breast cancer prior to the introduction of tamoxifen. Subsequently, the use of estrogen was largely abandoned. Recent clinical trial data have shown clinically meaningful efficacy for high-dose estrogen even in patients with extensive prior endocrine therapy. Preclinical research has demonstrated that the estrogen dose-response curve for breast cancer cells can be shifted by modification of the estrogen environment. Clinical and laboratory data together provide the basis for developing testable hypotheses of management strategies, with the potential of increasing the value of endocrine therapy in women with breast cancer.

在他莫昔芬（Tamoxifen）问世之前，高剂量雌激素通常被认为是绝经后乳腺癌患者的首选内分泌治疗方案。此后，雌激素的临床应用一度被大幅摒弃。近期临床试验数据表明，即使是既往接受过大量内分泌治疗的患者，高剂量雌激素也展现出具有临床意义的疗效。临床前研究证实，通过调控雌激素环境，可改变乳腺癌细胞的雌激素剂量-反应曲线。临床与实验室研究数据共同为制定可验证的治疗策略假说提供了依据，有望提升内分泌治疗在乳腺癌女性患者中的应用价值。