乳房切除后使用它莫昔芬五年已经足够
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2001年4月2日
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women with breast cancer treatable by surgery need only take the drug tamoxifen for five years to prevent a cancer recurrence, a report published in the March 21st issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute confirms.
Taking the drug for a longer period of time seems to add no extra benefit in terms of preventing a return of cancer, according to Dr. Helen J. Stewart, from the Scottish Cancer Trials Office, and colleagues in Edinburgh.
The study included 1,323 women with breast cancer who received tamoxifen beginning immediately following mastectomy. Eligible patients in the tamoxifen group who were disease-free at five years were randomly assigned to continue taking tamoxifen or to stop taking it. Followup of these patients revealed that the benefits of tamoxifen therapy lasted for at least 15 years, but it wasn't necessary for women to take the drug for more than five years to get the benefit.
``The absence of a benefit from continuing (tamoxifen) beyond five years is in keeping with the report of the larger National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project trial in which the period of followup was shorter,'' the researchers point out.
Further studies may be able to determine the optimal duration of tamoxifen therapy, but in the meantime prescribing tamoxifen for five years seems reasonable, they say.
SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 百拇医药
Taking the drug for a longer period of time seems to add no extra benefit in terms of preventing a return of cancer, according to Dr. Helen J. Stewart, from the Scottish Cancer Trials Office, and colleagues in Edinburgh.
The study included 1,323 women with breast cancer who received tamoxifen beginning immediately following mastectomy. Eligible patients in the tamoxifen group who were disease-free at five years were randomly assigned to continue taking tamoxifen or to stop taking it. Followup of these patients revealed that the benefits of tamoxifen therapy lasted for at least 15 years, but it wasn't necessary for women to take the drug for more than five years to get the benefit.
``The absence of a benefit from continuing (tamoxifen) beyond five years is in keeping with the report of the larger National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project trial in which the period of followup was shorter,'' the researchers point out.
Further studies may be able to determine the optimal duration of tamoxifen therapy, but in the meantime prescribing tamoxifen for five years seems reasonable, they say.
SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 百拇医药