The retrospective analysis of a study conducted in the UK showed that after two years of post-surgical therapy, postmenopausal women with hormone-sensitive early breast cancer treated with Femara experienced 30% fewer early breast cancer recurrences at sites away from the breast compared with tamoxifen.
In the dataset of more than 7,700 women at a median follow-up of two years, approximately 75% of early recurrences occurred at distant sites such as bone or vital organs. However, there were 30% fewer distant recurrences in the Femara group than in the tamoxifen group. Femara also demonstrated a significant reduction in the risk of recurrence to the same breast, the other breast and to the lymph nodes.
“These results provide the tip of the iceberg and for the bigger picture, physicians will be eagerly awaiting the results of the BIG 1-98 sequencing arms, which hope to indicate the optimal strategy for using Femara post surgery and are due to be ready for 2008. This is why Novartis has made a significant commitment to sponsor this important study,” said Hugh O’Dowd, business unit director for Novartis Oncology UK.