The new placebo-controlled study, conducted by Canada’s NCIC Clinical Trials Group with partial support from Pfizer, involved 4,560 women from Canada, the U.S., France and Spain with a median age of 62.5 years. The women were all post-menopausal and had at least one other risk factor for breast cancer.
After three years, researchers observed 11 invasive breast cancers in the women receiving Aromasin, compared with 32 in the group receiving the placebo, for a 65% reduction. There were also fewer precancerous lesions in the group receiving the drug.
“This may add another potential drug for these women,” said Dr. Jennifer Litton, a breast medical oncologist with the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “Hot flashes, joint stiffness were more pronounced but it [Aromasin] doesn’t have the blood clot and uterine cancer risk.”