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Compiling a list of the year's “top stories” is always a difficult task. NEJM Journal Watch covered many studies in 2016 didn't quite merit our “Year in Review” treatment as detailed, stand-alone summaries, but nevertheless are clinically important and worth revisiting.
Clinical trials have supported 5 years of aromatase inhibitor treatment for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive, nonmetastatic breast cancer, but some oncologists continue treatment beyond 5 years. This practice finally was addressed in a large randomized trial: Women who had already completed 5 years of letrozole received either letrozole or placebo for 5 additional years. Five-year disease-free survival was significantly higher with letrozole than with place…