Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy with exemestane in locally advanced breast cancer: The initial results from a Brazilian breast cancer center.

135 Background: Endocrine therapy is a well-established treatment for hormone-positive breast cancer, both in the adjuvant and the metastatic setting. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been used to increase the number of patients who are eligible for breast-conservation therapy (BCT) by inducing tumor downstaging. Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) is mostly used in patients who are not eligible for chemotherapy (almost reserved to postmenopausal patients). The clinical response with NET in postmenopausal patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) and positive hormonal receptors is almost 75% with aromatase inhibitors (AI). The comparison among tamoxifen and the three AI (anastrozole, letrozole, and exemestane) shows a superiority to AI regarding BCT. There are few data in premenopausal women and NET. Methods: 29 women with rich positive hormone receptor were enrolled in the study between January to September of 2010. Patients received exemestane 25mg/day (EXE) and as we included both pre (12 patient...