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Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene Shows High Risk Women Have Another Option for Breast Cancer Prevention
EPHRATA, Pa . – The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition (PBCC) salutes the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) for their breakthrough discovery in the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR) clinical trial, which demonstrates the success of raloxifene (Evista ®) in reducing breast cancer risk for postmenopausal women at increased risk of the disease with fewer side effects than tamoxifen. Raloxifene (Evista ®) is currently prescribed for osteoporosis.
“These results indicate an important and significant breakthrough in our ongoing battle with breast cancer, and serve as an example of the value of clinical trials in breast cancer research and treatment, ” said Pat Halpin-Murphy, president and founder of the PBCC and board member of the NSABP. “Women and their oncologists will soon have the power to make a decision that could add another option in preventing invasive breast cancer with fewer side effects because of the efforts of the many women who volunteered to participate in this prevention study.”
Nearly 20,000 women participated in the STAR clinical trial, making it one of the largest breast cancer prevention clinical trials ever conducted. Women who participated in the study were postmenopausal, at least 35 years old, and at an increased risk for breast cancer as determined by their age, family history, personal medical history, age at first menstrual period, and age at first childbirth.
The PBCC urges women who want to know more about the results of the STAR clinical trial and raloxifene (Evista ®) to contact the NSABP, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), or visit the PBCC website at pabreastcancer.org. To determine whether raloxifene may work for you, consult with your oncologist and physician.
Visit breastcancerprevention.org to calculate your breast cancer risk. Pennsylvania hospitals and facilities participating in the trial include:
- Abington Memorial Hospital
- Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania
- Allegheny Cancer Center Network
- CCOP, Bryn Mawr Hospital
- CCOP, Lankenau Hospital
- CCOP, Paoli Memorial Hospital
- Chester County Hospital
- Chestnut Hill Health Care
- Delaware County Memorial Hospital
- Doylestown Hospital
- Easton Hospital
- ECOG Group Chair’s Office
- Ephrata Community Hospital
- Fox Chase Cancer Center
- Frankford Hospital
- Geisinger Breast Clinic
- Grand View Hospital
- Hershey Medical Center
- Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University
- Lancaster General Hospital
- Lehigh Valley Hospital
- Mercy Community Hospital
- Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital
- Mercy Hospital
- Pennsylvania Oncology Hematology Associates
- Pinnacle Health Regional Cancer Center
- Pottstown Memorial Medical Center
- Reading Hospital and Medical Center
- Regional Cancer Center, Erie
- Riddle Memorial Hospital
- Sacred Heart Hospital
- St. Luke’s Hospital and Health Network
- St. Mary Medical Center
- Temple University
- University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
- Western Pennsylvania Hospital
- York Cancer Center
The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, founded in 1993, is a non-profit organization and the only statewide grassroots organization that speaks to and for breast cancer survivors. This year, more than 12,000 Pennsylvania women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. More than 2,300 will lose their lives to the disease. The PBCC’s mission is to help find a cure for breast cancer and to improve the quality of breast cancer education, research and outreach in the state.
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