Ovarian Suppression for Younger Women With HR+ Breast Cancer

Clinical Pearls

Prudence Francis, MD, from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Victoria, Australia, discusses the SOFT trial, which examined suppression of ovarian function, and the impact it could have on the future treatment of women under 35 with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

• Younger women with HR-positive breast cancer have a higher risk of recurrence than those over 35.
• SOFT compared tamoxifen plus ovarian function suppression versus tamoxifen alone. The addition of ovarian function suppression reduced recurrence of breast cancer in higher-risk young women who did not reach menopause after chemotherapy.
• The value of adding ovarian function suppression had previously been uncertain. The findings from this study suggest that the combination could become the standard of care.