Search

Background.--Adjuvant treatment with tamoxifen reduces the risk of contralateral breast cancer in hormone-responsive postmenopausal patients, whereas the effect in premenopausal women has not been fully elucidated. We have therefore studied the effect of tamoxifen on contralateral breast cancer in premenopausal women in a controlled randomised trial. Patients and Methods.--Premenopausal women (564) with stage II breast cancers were randomised to 2 years of tamoxifen versus control irrespective of oestrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) status. The median follow-up for patients not developing a contralateral cancer was 14 years. Results.--In the control group 35 women, and in the tamoxifen group 17 women, developed a contralateral breast cancer as a primary event. Tamoxifen significantly reduced the risk of contralateral breast cancer in all women regardless of age (hazard ratio (HR) 0.5, p = 0.02). In subgroup analysis the risk reduction was most pronounced in patients <40 years of age (HR 0.09, p = 0.02). A risk reduction was also seen in women 40-49 years of age or ≤50 years of age, although in these subgroups this did not reach statistical significance. The reduced risk of contralateral breast cancer was persistent during the whole follow-up time. Conclusion.--In this randomised trial, adjuvant treatment using tamoxifen for 2 years reduced the incidence of contralateral breast cancer by 50% in all premenopausal women, and by 90% in women <40 years of age. The effect of tamoxifen was not significantly dependent on time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research on the escalation in the number of breast cancer with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive status in Great Britain as a result of the rise in diagnosis through screening. It references the study "Is the Biology of Breast Cancer Changing? A Study of Hormone Receptor Status 1984-1986 and 1996-1997," by S. B. F. Mallon et al., published in an issue of "British Journal of Cancer." Researchers noted several factors that contribute to better survival rates in such patients.

The article discusses research being done on the link between hormone therapy (HT) and breast cancer risk in patients who are BRCA1 mutation carriers. It references a study by A. Eisen and colleagues, published in the 2008 issue of the "Journal of National Cancer Institute." The study included 472 postmenopausal women with BRCA1 mutation. It discovered that the use of HT in BRCA1 mutation carriers is not associated with increased risk of breast cancer.