Tamoxifen Effective for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ

In women with estrogen receptor–positive disease, adjuvant tamoxifen reduced risk for subsequent breast cancer.

The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-24 trial showed that women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who underwent lumpectomy and whole-breast radiotherapy had significantly lower risk for subsequent breast cancer events when treated for 5 years with adjuvant tamoxifen versus placebo (Lancet 1999; 353:1993). However, patients in this early study were not selected to receive the study drug on the basis of estrogen receptor (ER) status.

Now, researchers have retrospectively evaluated the association between DCIS receptor status and response to adjuvant tamoxifen in 732 of the 1804 patients in the NSABP B-24 trial for whom DCIS tissue was available in a central lab (449 patients) or hormonal status was available at …

Reviewing Author

Henry Mark Kuerer, MD, PhD, FACS

Disclosures

Speaker's BureauPhysicians’ Education Resource, LLC

RoyaltiesMcGraw-Hill Professional; UpToDate, Inc.

Editorial BoardsAnnals of Surgical Oncology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Breast Surgeons (Chair, Publications Committee)