Dr. Graff on Extended Adjuvant Therapy in Early-Stage HR+ Breast Cancer

Stephanie L. Graff, MD, director of the Breast Program at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute of HCA Midwest Health and associate director of the Breast Cancer Research Program at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the utility of extended adjuvant therapy in women with early-stage hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.

Extended adjuvant therapy is an evolving area. Patients who begin endocrine therapy should complete 5 years, after which they can consider an additional 5 years of treatment.

Treatment with tamoxifen has shown a 10-year survival benefit, says Graff. However, some women convert from tamoxifen to an aromatase inhibitor (AI), or begin treatment with an AI. Long-term data with AIs is needed to confirm the potential 10-year survival benefit.

Currently, extended adjuvant therapy is an optimal treatment strategy for patients who can tolerate it and who have significant risk factors, Graff concludes.