The development of tamoxifen for breast cancer therapy: a tribute to the late Arthur L. Walpole

Abstract

Tamoxifen, a nonsteroidal antiestrogen, is now the endocrine treatment most widely used in breast cancer, both in the adjuvant and advanced disease settings. Here we will trace the development of tamoxifen for advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal patients, consider the biological basis for the recent successful use of tamoxifen for long-term adjuvant therapy, and discuss the use of tamoxifen in premenopausal patients with advanced disease. In part, this will be a historical review offered as a tribute to the late Dr. Arthur L. Walpole, who must receive the chief credit for the discovery of tamoxifen and its subsequent application as an anticancer agent.