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Treatment of advanced, metastatic, or recurrent breast cancer
Source: Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: December 2, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.
NCI patient treatment article for this disease Exact source article; not a clinically reviewed indication or current-standard recommendation.
Context: Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer / How is hormone therapy used to treat breast cancer?
Several types of hormone therapy are approved to treat metastatic HR-positive breast cancer. Hormone therapy is also an option for people with ER-positive breast cancer that has come back in the breast, chest wall, or nearby lymph nodes after treatment (also called a locoregional recurrence).
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If you have metastatic or recurrent HR-positive breast cancer, the type of hormone therapy you receive will depend on many factors. Your doctor will suggest a treatment combination tailored to your specific diagnosis. Hormone therapy drugs used to treat metastatic or recurrent HR-positive breast cancer include:
tamoxifen
toremifene
fulvestrant
anastrozole
letrozole
exemestane
Some people with advanced breast cancer are treated with a combination of hormone therapy and targeted therapy. Learn more about Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer.
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Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice