Antitumour and biological effects of letrozole and GnRH analogue as primary therapy in premenopausal women with ER and PgR positive locally advanced operable breast cancer.

What Was Tested

This clinical trial looks at Antineoplastic Agents.

The researchers investigated the activity of primary therapy with letrozole in combination with GnRH analogue in premenopausal women with T2-T4 N0-N2 breast cancer, whose tumours expressed oestrogen and progesterone receptors.

The researchers measured the expression of molecular factors involved in responsiveness to endocrine agents including ERalpha, EGFR, HER2, MAP kinases (and phosphorylated forms) ER-beta1, both at initial biopsy and at the time of surgery.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 32 patients taking part.

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, women only.

Thirty-five patients were included and 32 patients were evaluable for response.

What Was Measured

The researchers investigated the activity of primary therapy with letrozole in combination with GnRH analogue in premenopausal women with T2-T4 N0-N2 breast cancer, whose tumours expressed oestrogen and progesterone receptors.

The researchers measured the expression of molecular factors involved in responsiveness to endocrine agents including ERalpha, EGFR, HER2, MAP kinases (and phosphorylated forms) ER-beta1, both at initial biopsy and at the time of surgery.

The subject headings attached to it are Antineoplastic Agents, Aromatase Inhibitors, Breast Neoplasms, Down-Regulation, ErbB Receptors, Estrogen Receptor alpha and Estrogen Receptor beta.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a clinical trial of Antineoplastic Agents in 32 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2007 (British journal of cancer), a journal based in England.

More context: all human trials.