Chemoprevention of breast cancer

Breast cancer remains the second leading cause of malignancy-related death in women in the USA, regardless of advances in novel therapeutic agents. High priority should be given to research aimed at the study of pharmacological and natural compounds that could potentially prevent the development of breast cancer in susceptible patients. Tamoxifen has been shown to reduce the incidence of estrogen receptor-positive invasive breast cancer in women with a high risk of developing this condition by nearly 50%, and studies in osteoporosis have revealed a similar protective effect of raloxifene in postmenopausal women. The aromatase inhibitors are superior to tamoxifen in reducing the recurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women; large clinical trials are currently evaluating the chemopreventive effect of these agents. The list of agents with the potential for chemoprevention in breast cancer is extensive and continues to expand. There is an immense need to develop drugs that will decrease the incidence of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer in women at high risk of developing the disease. Herein, we review the most important chemopreventive agents in breast cancer and clinical trials that have evaluated their efficacy.