Trilostane in advanced breast cancer

Antiestrogens, principally tamoxifen, and aromatase inhibitors have been used as the first- and second-line therapy in patients with advanced postmenopausal breast cancer for many years. However, some patients acquire resistance to these treatments and, at present, further endocrine treatment is achieved by merely substituting the current medication with a different antiestrogen or aromatase inhibitor. Trilostane offers an alternative endocrine treatment due to its unique mode of action. It is an allosteric modulator of the estrogen receptor and targets both the estrogen- and growth factor-dependent pathways through which estradiol stimulates cell proliferation. In clinical trials, trilostane has been shown to be an effective treatment for breast cancer in patients who have relapsed after receiving treatment with one or more forms of endocrine therapy. Ongoing and future clinical trials are examining the potential for the use of trilostane in premenopausal breast cancer, as well as in other malignancies such as prostate cancer.