How Endocrine Therapy Works in ER-Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer

In this segment, Dr. Gregory Vidal explains how hormone, or endocrine, therapies work to slow or stop cancer growth in ER-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. He describes how ER-positive cancer cells rely on estrogen signaling to grow and divide. Endocrine therapies are designed to either lower estrogen levels in the body or block the estrogen receptor, thereby interrupting the signaling pathway that fuels tumor growth. Dr. Vidal discusses the different approaches to endocrine therapy, including aromatase inhibitors and selective estrogen receptor degraders or antagonists, and how these therapies target the biology of ER-positive disease. He emphasizes that by cutting off the cancer’s hormonal “fuel source,” these treatments can effectively control disease progression for extended periods. This segment provides patients with a clearer understanding of why endocrine therapy forms the foundation of treatment in ER-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer and how it specifically targets the cancer’s underlying biology.