The program arose from support for the development of an infrastructure bringing together scientific interests within the Cancer Center, and multidisciplinary activities dealing with breast cancer and its implications to society and to patients. Interest, needs, and strengths were identified in areas of tumor biology, epidemiology, immunology, and preventive and therapeutic interventions. Postmenopausal women who are interested in participating in STAR should contact the center nearest to them.
Tamoxifen is a drug, taken by mouth as a pill.
It has been used for more than 20 years to treat patients with breast cancer. Tamoxifen works against breast cancer, in part, by interfering with the activity of estrogen, a female hormone that promotes the growth of breast cancer cells. Raloxifene is a drug, taken by mouth as a pill. In December 1997, it was approved by the FDA for the prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Raloxifene is being studied because large studies testing its effectiveness against osteoporosis have shown that women taking the drug developed fewer breast cancers than women taking a placebo.