Endocrine-responsive breast cancer: a 28-year Odyssey

Details on the 28-year treatment history of a patient with an endocrine-responsive breast cancer are provided. She was originally diagnosed as having a T1N0M0 cancer after a modified radical mastectomy at age 41. Fifteen years later, in 1998, she presented with hemoptysis and pleuritic chest pain: a 10 cm right atrial tumor and estrogen receptor (ER) positive endobronchial and adjacent lung parenchyma adenocarcinoma were documented. Epithelial markers normalized as she manifested a partial response (PR) lasting 3 years with tamoxifen treatment. From 2001 to 2007 she benefitted from exemestane treatment. Upon progression in the previous lung area and left adrenal, exemestane withdrawal led to transient decrease in markers. Six months later (in July 2008), with growth in her adrenal tumor, laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed: in addition to ER positivity, the tumor showed Her2 overexpression and amplification. She has subsequently had some control of disease with fulvestrant, letrozole + trastuzumab, and subsequently letrozole + lapatinib. In addition to the chronicity of disease, this history illustrates the expanding range of treatments available for endocrine-responsive breast cancer commensurate to our greater understanding of tumor biology.