CNS Oncology (Dec 2020)

Endocrine therapy for the treatment of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis in luminal breast cancer: a comprehensive review

  • Leonor Fernandes,
  • Leonor Vasconcelos de Matos,
  • Débora Cardoso,
  • Marlene Saraiva,
  • Renata Medeiros-Mirra,
  • Andreia Coelho,
  • Helena Miranda,
  • Ana Martins

DOI
https://doi.org/10.2217/cns-2020-0023
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 4

Abstract

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Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) represents a devastating complication of advanced breast cancer (ABC), with survival of <5 months with multimodal treatment. The role of endocrine therapy (ET), due to its favorable toxicity profile and first-line indication in luminal ABC, appears promising in the setting of LMD, where symptom stabilization and quality-of-life preservation are the main goals; however, evidenced-based data are lacking. We conducted a thorough review of published evidence, aiming to investigate the role of ET in LMD treatment in luminal ABC. Twenty-one of 342 articles, evaluating 1302 patients, met inclusion criteria. ET use was rarely reported. New targeted agents show CNS activity. Research is lacking on the role of ET and targeted agents in BC-LMD treatment.

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