Arimidex cuts breast cancer recurrence 24% vs tamoxifen

John Forbes of the Newcastle Mater Misericordiae Hospital in Australia says that data from a long-term study of the anticancer agent Armidex (anastrozole) indicate this it reduces the risk of breast cancer recurrence 24% in comparison with tamoxifen. During his presentation at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Prof Forbes said that Armidex, which was developed by Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca, had increased disease-free survival in postmenopausal women suffering hormone receptor-positive forms of the illness.

100-month data from the ATAC study, which were also published on-line in The Lancet Oncology journal, showed that, even four years post Arimidex treatment, the absolute reduction in the risk of all forms of disease recurrence continues to increase in comparison with tamoxifen. This is the first time that any aromatase inhibitor has demonstrated any "carry-over" effect.

Prof Forbes concluded that "these new results from ATAC 100 show that there is no longer any rationale for using tamoxifen over anastrozole in women with postmenopausal early breast cancer."