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Review

Nature Reviews Cancer 3, 821–831 (1 November 2003) | doi:10.1038/nrc1211

Aromatase inhibitors for breast cancer: lessons from the laboratory

Stephen R.D. Johnston & Mitch Dowsett

Endocrine therapy with tamoxifen has been the mainstay of treatment for hormone-sensitive breast cancer for more than 20 years. An alternative strategy of oestrogen deprivation in postmenopausal women with aromatase inhibitors is set to replace tamoxifen based on better efficacy and a delay in the emergence of endocrine resistance. There are fundamental differences in how tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors alter oestrogen-receptor signalling. Understanding the response and resistance to these different therapies is central to further improving therapeutic options for women with breast cancer.