What endocrine therapies are commonly available?
There are a number of different types of endocrine therapy and your doctor will recommend the one most suitable for you, and this will depend upon a number of factors including your age and the stage of your breast cancer. Some of the more commonly used endocrine therapies are described below: Tamoxifen is known as an anti-oestrogen drug, and it works by binding to the oestrogen receptors on the surface of tumour cells and stops oestrogen from binding to the receptors. It has become the most widely used treatment for breast cancer since it was introduced in 1973. It is used to treat all stages of breast cancer in women both before and after they have gone through the menopause. Aromatase inhibitors are a group of drugs used to reduce oestrogen levels in postmenopausal women whose periods have stopped. In these women most of the oestrogen is produced from the conversion of androgens by the enzyme aromatase. Aromatase inhibitors are drugs that interfere with this enzyme and block the pro
