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Study Compares Drugs for Women at High Risk for Breast CancerFroedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin are among more than 500 centers participating in one of the largest breast cancer prevention studies ever conducted — the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene, or STAR.
This clinical trial is studying how the drug Raloxifene compares with Tamoxifen in reducing the incidence of breast cancer. Participants were postmenopausal women, at least 35 years old, who had an increased risk of breast cancer as determined by age, family history of breast cancer, personal medical history, age at first menstrual period and age at first live birth.
Overall, the STAR trial included 19,747 women. Initial results of STAR show that Raloxifene, currently used to prevent and treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, is as effective as Tamoxifen in reducing breast cancer risk for postmenopausal women at increased risk of the disease.
In the study, the drugs reduced the risk of developing invasive breast cancer by about 50 percent. In addition, women who were prospectively and randomly assigned to take Raloxifene daily, and followed for an average of about four years, had 36 percent fewer uterine cancers and 29 percent fewer blood clots than the women who were on Tamoxifen. Uterine cancers, especially endometrial cancers, are a rare but serious side effect of Tamoxifen. Both drugs are known to increase a woman’s risk of blood clots.
For many years, Tamoxifen has been effective in decreasing the new development of breast cancer. Initial results of the STAR trial show that Raloxifene is as effective as Tamoxifen with the benefit of less serious side effects.
If you have questions about breast cancer treatment, please check with your healthcare provider.
Source: Froedtert Today Date: September 2006 |