Patients with endocrine-resistant breast cancer are eligible. Treatment Phase: Patients will be treated with 17b-estradiol until disease progression. At this point, the patient will end protocol therapy. Clinical benefit, progression-free survival, objective response, tumor metabolic response, and toxicity will be determined. Observational Phase (optional): After disease progression on 17b-estradiol, patients will be treated at their oncologist's discretion. Clinical benefit, progression-free survival, and objective response will be measured during this line of treatment of physician's choice until another instance of disease progression. In consented subjects who undergo a clinically indicated tumor biopsy of recurrent or metastatic disease prior to the start of 17b-estradiol treatment, when feasible, acquisition of additional tumor tissue is requested for research purposes. Optional: patients will be asked to provide tumor tissue via a research biopsy on Day 3-4 of 17b-estradiol treatment. Archived tumor tissue and clinical-grade tumor and plasma DNA/RNA sequencing results will be used for research purposes. Blood samples will be obtained at baseline, on Day 3-4 of 17b-estradiol therapy (optional), and upon disease progression on 17b-estradiol. Plasma and buffy coat will be extracted and frozen. Tumor tissue and plasma specimens will be analyzed to identify molecular biomarkers predictive of sensitivity/resistance to 17b-estradiol therapy
Determine whether subjects harboring ESR1-mutant/amplified breast cancer have a higher rate of clinical benefit from 17b-estradiol therapy than subjects with ESR1-wild-type breast cancer