Regional Cancer Care Institute Completes Participation in Trial in Breast Cancer Prevention

RAPID CITY, SD – The Regional Cancer Care Institute (CCI) participated in the Study of Raloxifene and Tamoxifen (STAR), one of the largest breast cancer prevention clinical trials ever conducted. STAR enrolled 19,490 postmenopausal women across the United States, who were at increased risk for the disease in the follow-up study. CCI enrolled 36 women. 161 total were enrolled in South Dakota.

An update of the results of the study shows that the drug raloxifene (initially used to prevent and treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women) improved its effectiveness against noninvasive breast cancer, caused significantly less endometrial cancer and was significantly less toxic than tamoxifen.

STAR participants were postmenopausal, at least 35years old, and had a modified breast cancer risk as determined by their age, family history of breast cancer, personal medical history, age of first menstrual period, and age at first live birth. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either of raloxifene or tamoxifen daily for five years. The 81-month study results (versus the 47 months in the initial report) show that raloxifene retained 76 percent of the effectiveness in preventing invasive disease and grew closer to tamoxifen in preventing noninvasive disease, while remaining less toxic.

This long-term trial was coordinated by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), a network of cancer research professionals, and is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Improved detection and treatment of breast cancer have not eliminated the need for better prevention of this disease, which accounted for approximately 192,000 new cancer cases and 40,000 cancer deaths in the U.S. in 2009.

For tools used to calculate a woman’s risk for breast cancer, visit http://cancer.gov/bcrisktool.

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