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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Breast cancer patients who are started on tamoxifen may do well to switch to another drug aimed at lowering estrogen levels after a few years.
Italian researchers pooled results from two studies comparing women who remained on tamoxifen (Nolvadex) for five years to women who started out on tamoxifen but then switched to an aromatase inhibitor. The researchers report women who switched to an aromatase inhibitor had lower breast cancer mortality rates and lower mortality rates from other causes.
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The authors explain tamoxifen and a similar drug, raloxifene (Evista), are typically prescribed to women with estrogen-sensitive breast cancers because they've been proven to reduce the risk of the cancer recurring. These drugs also increase the risk of strokes and endometrial cancer, leading to higher death rates from these causes.
Aromatase inhibitors, like aminoglutethimide (Cytadren) or anastrozole (Arimidex), also lower estrogen, but in a different way. Previous studies suggested they could lead to an even greater reduction in breast cancer recurrence if used either alone or with tamoxifen, but this is the first study to determine their effect on overall mortality.
"This pooled analysis provides solid evidence that switching to an aromatase inhibitor following a few years of tamoxifen treatment implies a mortality benefit over continued tamoxifen, and that the benefit on breast cancer-related mortality is mainly due to the effect of switching," conclude the authors.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: CANCER, published online Feb. 12, 2007
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