Early Breast Cancer Therapy for Postmenopausal Women

An aromatase inhibitor for estrogen-receptor positive advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women is now approved for use by women with early stage disease and has demonstrated a number of advantages over the gold standard, tamoxifen.

A study involving more than 9,000 women is comparing five years of treatment with the new drug (anastrozole) alone, tamoxifen alone, or a combination of both therapies, following initial surgery. Interim results show that anastrozole (Arimidex) is significantly more effective than tamoxifen at preventing recurrence. Specifically, anastrozole demonstrated a 22% reduction in the risk for disease free survival compared to tamoxifen. Also, women taking anastrozole had a 58% lower risk of developing a contralateral breast tumor than women taking tamoxifen.

In addition, women taking anastrozole had almost half as many episodes of deep vein thrombosis, a reduced risk of endometrial cancer, and a reduced incidence of hormonal side effects such as hot flashes. Anastrozole is the product of AstraZeneca (London, UK). The company notes that anastrozole is the first and only drug of its class that can also be used in the early stage of breast cancer.

"While tamoxifen has had a major impact on improving survival from breast cancer, more effective and better tolerated treatments are needed. The evidence to show Arimidex may further improve on the benefits already seen with tamoxifen is very exciting for both patients and doctors treating the disease,” said Mike Dixon, consulting surgeon and senior lecturer, Edinburgh Breast Unit, Western Hospital (UK).




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