Office of Cancer Communications Building 31,Room 10A24 Bethesda, MD 20892 |
National Cancer Institute FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR RESPONSE TO INQUIRIES Lori Psillidis |
Announcer Copy |
Announcer Copy: Breast Cancer Prevention Trial Shows
Major Benefit, Some Risk #1 (30 seconds): "As part of a large North American study, over 13,000 women volunteered to take tamoxifen or an inactive pill to see if the drug would help prevent new cases of breast cancer. There were 45 percent fewer cases of breast cancer reported in the women in the trial who took the drug versus those on the inactive pill. The study highlights the fact that while a reduction in new cases is significant, there are risks associated with tamoxifen that must be carefully weighed against the benefits of breast cancer reduction." #2 (45 seconds): "Starting in 1992, women 35 and older were enrolled at 300 centers across North America to see whether the drug tamoxifen would help reduce the number of new breast cancer cases in women at high risk for the disease. Investigators found that the drug reduced the number of new cases by 45 percent. Because of the clearly positive results, the study is being released more than a year earlier than anticipated. Women who took an inactive pill for comparative purposes are now being given the opportunity to take tamoxifen if they and their doctor feel they might benefit from the drug and are aware of the risks that taking this drug involves. For some women, the risks of endometrial cancer or blood clotting need to be weighed against the breast cancer reduction benefits." #3 (30 seconds): "Women were enrolled in the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial based on their degree of risk for developing the disease. Risk factors included mothers, daughters, or sisters with the disease; age at delivery of their children; evidence of breast lumps; age at first menstruation; and a specific pre-cancerous condition of the breast. Women over 60 were automatically considered to be at increased risk. The study results showed a reduction of 45 percent in new breast cancer cases for women at high risk for the disease." #4 (35 seconds): "Women today face a greater challenge in dealing with their health care. While the results of the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial may not have an immediate impact on all women, the study designers hope to provide women with more options to deal with the risk of breast cancer. Continued participation by women in ongoing and future trials of this nature will greatly aid researchers in developing newer and better methods of fighting breast, as well as other, cancers." #5 (30 seconds): "Long-term, multi-center, clinical trials
that compare women who take a drug against women on an inactive pill are
the best way of determining whether or not a drug is effective in preventing
cancer. The Breast Cancer Prevention Trial enrolled over 13,000 women at
high risk for breast cancer. The results showed a clear 45 percent reduction
in new cases of breast cancer in women in the experimental group who took
tamoxifen versus women who didn't. Without a trial of this size, detection
of a drop in new cancers might not have been possible." | ||
