On April 17, 2006, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) released the results of the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR), a five-year clinical trial that compared the effectiveness of the two drugs in the prevention of breast cancer.
The results indicate that raloxifene, originally used to treat osteoporosis, is as effective as tamoxifen in the prevention of breast cancer, with fewer side effects and a lowered risk of uterine cancers and blood clots.
Georgia Cancer Specialists (GCS) physician Dr. Janice Galleshaw served as the principle investigator in the Atlanta area for the trial, which with more than 19,000 women participating, was the largest randomized clinical study of its kind.
“I was pleased to be a part of this very important study,” said Dr. Galleshaw. “The results of the STAR trial could represent the next big step in breast cancer prevention.”
The study, which was conducted by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), tested the effectiveness of the two drugs tamoxifen and raloxifene in post-menopausal women with an elevated risk of breast cancer over a five-year span. The STAR trial was primarily funded by the NCI.
Later this fall, a new breast cancer prevention trial will be launched that compares the effectiveness of raloxifene to the aromatase inhibitor letrozole. For more information about GCS’s involvement in clinical trials, visit www.gacancer.com/research/.
Dr. Galleshaw offers comprehensive cancer care at the GCS Alpharetta office, and the http://www.nsabp.pitt.edu/STAR/.
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