Treatment Update for Women with Hormone Receptor-positive Advanced Breast Cancer

Karen Gelmon N ew treatments are needed urgently for advanced cancer of the breast, in which the most common subtype is hormone receptorpositive breast cancer. In the randomised, double-blind, multicentre phase III trial, Fulvestrant and AnastrozoLe COmpared in hormonal therapy Naïve advanced breast cancer (FALCON), a statistically significant 21% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death was reported in women with hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer who had been treated with fulvestrant compared with those who had received anastrozole. Women in this study had not received prior hormone therapy. Access to the treatment and the mechanisms for funding need to be facilitated in a timely fashion. Ongoing studies are awaited to help define the optimal sequence of therapy for women with hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer.