Development of a new prevention maintenance therapy for postmenopausal women

In spring 1998, breast cancer prevention emerged from being a concept to being a reality. The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project prevention trial showed that tamoxifen reduced breast cancer by 45% in high-risk women between the ages of 35 and 75. Additionally, an evaluation of 10,550 patients randomized to osteoporosis trials of placebo versus raloxifene demonstrated a 50% reduction in the incidence of breast cancer in woman taking raloxifene. For the future, a Study of Tamoxifen Against Raloxifene (STAR) is ongoing in high-risk postmenopausal women. This chapter describes the biological rationale for the current clinical advances.