In an update of the 19,490-patient Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR) P-2 trial in breast cancer prevention, both raloxifene and tamoxifen remain effective options to prevent breast cancer at 81 months of follow-up.

Raloxifene improved its effectiveness against noninvasive breast cancer, caused significantly less endometrial cancer and was significantly less toxic than tamoxifen. Although it was slightly less effective against invasive breast cancer, it still maintained strong efficacy.

Due to the late-breaking nature of these data, full results are being withheld until the trial is presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010 during a special plenary session in Hall D of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at 10:00 a.m. ET on Monday, April 19, 2010. These results will be published simultaneously in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the AACR.

A panel of experts will be available to take questions from the media in room 142 of the convention center at 11:00 a.m. ET on April 19. Reporters who cannot attend in person can participate by calling in, using the following information:

U.S. and Canada: (888) 282-7404
International: (706) 679-5207
Access Code: 67263212

Download interviews with cancer researchers and recordings of the teleconferences by subscribing to the AACR Scientific Podcasts via iTunes (http://www.aacr.org/itunes) or an RSS Reader (http://www.aacr.org/rss).

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, the AACR is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes 31,000 basic, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants, research fellowship and career development awards. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care. The AACR publishes six major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; and Cancer Prevention Research. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors and their families, patient advocates, physicians and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship and advocacy.

Source:  American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)