[Aromatase inhibitors in advanced breast cancer]

Benefits from hormonal therapy in patients with hormon-sensitive breast cancers are widely and well known. A great challenge for clinicians is represented by the possibility to use citoreductive primary hormonal therapy in patients with locally advanced breast carcinoma. Five-year treatment with tamoxifen has been for long time the gold standard in adjuvant settings. In post-menopausal women affected by breast cancer larger than 3 cm and expressing estrogen receptors (ER+), clinical trials have shown that few months treatment with aromatase inhibitors can downsizing tumors. This citoreduction is greater than the one obtained with tamoxifen and it makes conservative surgery possible in most part of cases.