Long-term effects of adjuvant tamoxifen and/or radiotherapy. The South Sweden Breast Cancer Trial.
In a multicenter trial of adjuvant therapy in stage II breast cancer, 719 postmenopausal patients were randomized to one of three treatment regimens: radiotherapy only or in combination with adjuvant tamoxifen for one year, or adjuvant tamoxifen without radiotherapy. At twelve years of follow-up (median 9 years), no statistically significant differences in survival or recurrence-free survival were observed. However, the rate of loco-regional recurrency was lower among patients treated with both radiotherapy and tamoxifen. The rate of bilateral breast cancer was reduced in tamoxifen-treated patients whereas the rate of new primary malignancies other than breast cancer was somewhat higher in tamoxifen-treated patients. Adjuvant therapy in breast cancer may influence not only breast cancer recurrences and mortality but also later disease patterns and cause-specific mortality.
Rydén
S
S
Dept of Surgery, Angelholm Hospital, Sweden.
Fernö
M
M
Möller
T
T
Aspegren
K
K
Bergljung
L
L
Killander
D
D
Landberg
T
T
D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002423:Cause of Death; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000517:prevention & control; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D013548:Sweden; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D013629:Tamoxifen