Ovarian ablation has been used for more than a century in the treatment of breast cancer. Methods of irreversible ovarian ablation include surgical oophorectomy and ovarian irradiation. Potentially reversible castration can be accomplished medically using luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) analogues. In addition, cytotoxic chemotherapy unpredictably produces amenorrhea and primary ovarian failure in 10%-95% of premenopausal women as a function of patient age, cumulative dose, and the specific agents used. In the metastatic setting, ovarian ablation and tamoxifen monotherapies produce comparable outcomes and may be more effective when used together. While many early adjuvant trials of ovarian ablation were methodologically flawed, a more recent meta-analysis by the Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group of 12 properly designed randomized trials found significantly greater disease-free and overall survival rates for women under the age of 50, regardless of nodal status, receiving ovarian ablation as a single adjuvant therapy. Several important issues regarding the role of ovarian ablation in the treatment of breast cancer remain unresolved. Data suggest that ovarian ablation followed by some years of tamoxifen produces similarThe Oncologist 2004;9:507-517 www.TheOncologist.comCorrespondence: Nancy E. Davidson, M.D., The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, 1650 Orleans Street, Room 409, Baltimore, Maryland 21231-1000 Fax: 410-614-4073; e-mail: davidna@jhmi.edu Received November 10, 2003; accepted for publication April 22, 2004. ©AlphaMed Press 1083-7159/2004 The Oncologist ® Breast Cancer
LEARNING OBJECTIVESAfter completing this course, the reader will be able to:1. Discuss the pros and cons of various methods of ovarian ablation, including oophorectomy, radiation therapy, and luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) analogues.2. Recall the frequency of chemotherapy-related amenorrhea with commonly used regimens in adjuvant breast cancer treatment.3. Discuss the evidence supporting the use of ovarian ablation in premenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer.4. Discuss the evidence supporting the use of ovarian ablation in premenopausal women with locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer.Access and take the CME test online and receive 1 hour of AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.com CME CME by guest on May 11, 2018http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/
Downloaded fromThis material is protected by U.S. Copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. For reprints contact: Reprints@AlphaMedPress.com Prowell, Davidson 508 results to those seen with adjuvant chemotherapy in women with hormone-receptor positive breast cancer; however, the value of combining these modalities is still unclear. Other areas of ongoing investigation include the appropriate duration of therapy with LHRH analogues in the adjuvant setting, the long-term sequelae of ovarian suppression among young breast cancer survivors, and refinement of the populatio...