Switching patients with early breast cancer from a standard drug to a newer treatment helps them live longer and improves their odds of remaining free of the disease, German researchers said Friday.
Although tamoxifen has been the standard treatment following surgery for women with hormone sensitive tumors, they said changing to a newer class of drug called aromatase inhibitors improved overall survival.
“A lot of people have been waiting to see whether aromatase inhibitors will show a survival advantage, and I think these data will assure them that five years of tamoxifen is no longer the standard of care … ,” said Walter Jonat, professor at the University of Kiel in Germany.
Aromatase inhibitors suppress the production of estrogen, which is linked to the development of breast cancer, in post-menopausal women.
Tamoxifen works by preventing the action of estrogen on the cells of the breast.
AstraZeneca Plc makes anastrozole under the brand name Arimidex.
“We showed that the benefits of switching to anastrozole in terms of disease and recurrence-free survival that have been seen in the individual trials translate into a significant benefit in overall survival,” Jonat said in the study published online by the Lancet Oncology journal.
There were also fewer serious adverse side effects in women taking the newer drug.
The charity Breast Cancer Campaign said the findings were encouraging.
“While a cure for everyone may still be out of our reach, a move towards breast cancer being a lifelong manageable condition could well be around the corner,” said Pamela Goldberg, chief executive of the charity.
More than 1 million cases of breast cancer in women are diagnosed each year. A family history, early puberty and delaying childbirth are some risk factors.
