Femara cuts metastatic recurrence in cancer

According to new data published in the May issue of the Annals of Oncology, use of Swiss drug major Novartis' anticancer agent Femara (letrozole) in the post-surgical therapy of post-menopausal women with hormone-sensitive early breast cancer, resulted in a reduction in metastatic disease recurrence, compared with tamoxifen.

The study, which was a retrospective analysis of data from more than 7,700 women after a median follow-up period of two years, showed that, while 75% of recurrences occurred at sites distant to the breast, such as in the bone or in vital organs, patients who received two years of Femara treatment experienced 30% fewer events than in the tamoxifen group.

Study investigator Andrew Wardley, a consultant medical oncologist at Christie Hospital in Manchester, in the UK, explained that Femara is the only aromatase inhibitor to significantly reduce distant metastases, compared with tamoxifen, as an initial adjuvant therapy. Dr Wardley added that this was a positive result because, "this type of recurrence significantly worsens the prognosis for these women."