Continued use of goserelin to achieve ovarian function suppression in combination with a further aromatase inhibitor (exemestane) following prior treatment with anastrozole and/or tamoxifen in premenopausal women with oestrogen receptor positive advanced breast cancer

Abstract

Hepatic metastases from breast cancer signal a dismal prognosis, with a median survival of 9.5 months.Twenty breast cancer patients with liver metastases underwent hepatic resection, biopsy, or ablation between 1995 and 2004. Hormone receptor status and Her-2/neu expression of primary and metastatic tumors were correlated with overall survival.At a mean follow-up of 39 months after hepatic resection, median survival was 32 months. Patients undergoing anatomic resection with or without ablation lived significantly longer than those undergoing more limited resections (46 vs. 25 months, P = .016). Survival was significantly greater in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)–positive primary (P = .02) and metastatic (P < .004) tumors, Her-2/neu–positive metastases (P = .02), ≤2 hepatic metastases (P < .002), and age >50 years at metastasectomy (P = .02).The ER status of the primary tumor and ER and Her-2/neu status of hepatic metastases, in addition to other clinical factors, may help select patients who would benefit from hepatic metastasectomy.