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STAR
Breast Cancer Prevention Trial
Click here to watch the STAR Study video
The Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene, or STAR, one of the largest breast cancer prevention studies ever, is now recruiting volunteers at more than 400 centers across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. STAR is a study of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), a network of research professionals, and is supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The University of Hawaii Minority-Based Clinical Oncology Program located at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii is one of the sites selected to conduct this study.
The trial will include 22,000 postmenopausal women at increased risk of breast cancer to determine whether the osteoporosis prevention drug raloxifene (Evista) is as effective in reducing the chance of developing breast cancer as tamoxifen (Nolvadex) has proven to be.
Tamoxifen was shown to reduce the chance of developing breast cancer by about half in the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (BCPT), a study of over 13,000 premenopausal and postmenopausal women at high risk of breast cancer.
In the BCPT, half the women took tamoxifen and half took a placebo (an inactive pill that looked like tamoxifen). Women taking tamoxifen also had fewer fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine than women taking the placebo.
Studies testing raloxifene for osteoporosis suggest that it also has the potential to prevent breast cancer. The only way to prove that potential is to do a clinical trial in which the risks and benefits of raloxifene are directly compared with the risks and benefits of tamoxifen.
Women who participate in STAR must be postmenopausal, at least age 35, and have an increased risk of breast cancer as determined by their age, family history of breast cancer, personal history of previous breast biopsies, age at first menstrual period, and age at first live birth.
To be eligible for STAR a woman must be
- Postmenopausal
- WITHOUT a history of breast cancer
- Must not have taken either tamoxifen or raloxifene for more than 3 months
Women who are interested in STAR may contact:
Ann Kelminski, R.N., Program coordinator at (808) 586-2979 or e-mail ann@crch.hawaii.edu.
Or
Faith Inoshita, R.N., M.S. at (808) 586-2979 or e-mail faithi@crch.hawaii.edu
For more information about STAR you may visit the NSABP Web site at http://www.nsabp.pitt.edu or the NCI clinical trials Web site at http://cancertrials.nci.nih.gov.