Enrollment of volunteers is now under way. This is an important study because previous research suggests that both tamoxifen and raloxifene may reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.
More research is needed to determine which drug is most effective and has the fewest side effects.
Research nurses involved in the study will discuss the trial, the potential benefits of the two drugs being investigated and their side effects as part of the 1999 Breast Cancer Health Forum, a monthlong series of events in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In an earlier study called the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial, tamoxifen was shown to reduce the chance of developing breast cancer by about half, and the Food and Drug Administration approved the drug last year for use as a preventive agent in women at high risk for developing breast cancer. Used for more than 20 years as a therapy to treat breast cancer, tamoxifen works, in part, by interfering with the activity of estrogen, the female hormone that promotes growth of breast cancer cells. Women taking tamoxifen in the earlier study had fewer hip, wrist and spine fractures than did women taking a dummy pill, or placebo. STAR will compare tamoxifen with raloxifene, a drug developed and approved as a treatment for osteoporosis.