USE OF TRILOSTANE AND ITS DERIVATIVES, OPTIONALLY IN COMBINATION WITH TAMOXIFEN OR RALOXIFENE IN THE TREATMENT OF ESTROGEN-DEPENDENT CANCERS E.G. BREAST, PROSTATE AND UTERUS CANCERS

摘要

Certain steroid compounds which are 2 a -cyano-4 a , 5 a -epoxy-3-oxo steroids notably trilostane, act on specific isoforms of the oestrogen receptor in human and animal cells. The compounds are used to treat certain conditions in hormone-sensitive organs such as but not exclusively breast, prostate, central nervous system, heart, blood vessels and uterus. The invention shows that trilostane and related compounds selectively modulate ligand binding to the oestrogen receptor and in particular to oestrogen receptor beta. Also claimed are particulate forms of these compounds which consist of particles having a mean equivalent sphere volume diameter of 12 žm or less and 90% having a particle size less than 50 žm.