Long-term prevention of recurrence?
Meet the Experts
Sandra F. Schnall, M.D. is a medical oncologist/hematologist who practices at Bryn Mawr Hospital in the Thomas Jefferson University Health System outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Marisa Weiss, M.D. is a radiation oncologist specializing in breast cancer and the founder, president, and guiding force behind Breastcancer.org.
Question from Mary: Are there any definitive studies regarding the long-term effectiveness of hormone therapy in preventing recurrence of breast cancer?
- Answers —Sandra Schnall, M.D.: There are several studies that show the advantage of hormone therapy in decreasing the risk of new breast cancers from developing.
- Marisa Weiss, M.D., president and founder: There is the completed tamoxifen prevention study. There is the ongoing STAR study. And there are some new studies officially looking at the value of aromatase inhibitors in preventing new cancers. In prior studies of aromatase inhibitors, we saw that they seemed to be very good at reducing the risk of developing a new cancer in the other breast.
- Sandra Schnall, M.D.: There's another hormone treatment for osteoporosis prevention that patients may be placed on. It's called Evista, or raloxifene. It's often used for osteoporosis prevention but also causes decreased breast cancer risk.
- Marisa Weiss, M.D., president and founder: In post-menopausal women, that is.
On Wednesday, April 21, 2004, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Hormonal Therapy Updates. Sandra Schnall, M.D. and Marisa Weiss, M.D. answered your questions about hormonal therapies and answered questions about which ones work best in different situations, how they might fit into your treatment sequence, how to deal with side effects, and more.
The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of Breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.
A production of LiveWorld, Inc.
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.