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Aromatase inhibitors (e.g., anastrozole [Arimidex], letrozole [Femara], and exemestane [Aromasin]) now are used widely as adjuvant therapy for women with breast cancer. In the randomized ATAC trial, postmenopausal women with early breast cancer received either anastrozole or tamoxifen for 5 years as initial adjuvant therapy. In a previous report, 3-year disease-free survival was significantly greater with anastrozole than with tamoxifen (Journal Watch Aug 9 2002). Now, the investigators report long-term outcomes for 6241 participants in the trial.
During a median of 8.3 years since the beginning of the trial, about 20% of women developed recurrent breast cancer. Disease-free survival remained significantly greater in the anastrozole group th…