| November Newsletter 2003 |
| p.2 |
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| The Warmest Thanksgiving!! |
| Kappa Tau Officers:
President Ed Wheeler m/816-550-0509 [email protected] VP of Leadership Jean Kruse 816-318-1851 [email protected] VP at Large Jessica Besaw 816-380-7477 [email protected] VP of Service Kim Jarquio p/816-395-8345 [email protected] VP of Public Relations Lois Robbins h/816-361-2153 [email protected] M/816-519-5423 VP of Correspondence Kelly Lane h/816-537-8356 [email protected] C/816-694-5775 Secretary of Treasury Margaret Berter p/816-672-2254 [email protected] Advisors Russ Keevy 816-672-2261 [email protected] Diane Sager 816-353-5686 [email protected] Breast Cancer Awareness Month: OCTOBER IS NATIONAL BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH The Third Friday in OCTOBER is National Mammography Day -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In September, several national organizations will have the list of facilities that participate in National Mammography Day. To learn which facilities in your area are taking part in the event, call: American Cancer Society (800) 227-2345 National Cancer Institute (800) 4-CANCER Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization (800) 221-2141 This information gathered at http://www.nbcam.org/about_mammography.cfm |
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| The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Comments On Data From Letrozole Study Study Results Published in New England Journal of Medicine Show Significant Reduction in Breast Cancer Recurrence but Long-Term Side Effects Still Unknown DALLAS � October 9, 2003 � Data from a Canadian-led international clinical trial indicate that post-menopausal survivors with estrogen receptor-positive forms of early breast cancer who took the drug letrozole after completing an initial five years of tamoxifen therapy significantly reduced their risk of cancer recurrence compared to women taking a placebo. The study results appeared in today�s advance, on-line edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Overall, letrozole reduced the risk of recurrence by 43 percent, so that after four years of participating in the trial, 13 percent of the women on the placebo, but only seven percent, of those on letrozole had recurred. This corresponds to an absolute difference of six percent. Deaths from breast cancer were also reduced. Seventeen women taking the placebo died of breast cancer compared to nine taking letrozole; however, this difference was not statistically significant. The five-year double-blind study, which involved 5,000 women in the United States, Canada and Europe was stopped after just over two years because the study leaders felt that women in the placebo arm of the study should begin benefiting from the use of the letrozole as soon as possible. �Letrozole offers new promise for thousands of breast cancer patients,� said Cheryl Perkins, M.D., senior clinical advisor for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. �As a breast cancer survivor, I know first-hand the anxiety a patient experiences when she finishes her treatment. The fear of recurrence is something that�s always with you. Letrozole may afford added peace of mind to those women who are appropriate candidates for this treatment and elect to use it.� The recommended course of tamoxifen treatment for breast cancer patients is five years, after which time the drug stops being effective because some tumors become resistant to it. Letrozole works via a different biological mechanism than does tamoxifen, which blocks the hormone estrogen. Letrozole and other aromatase inhibitors suppress the production of estrogen. Estrogen is thought to stimulate the development and growth of breast cancer. According to study organizers, approximately 80,000 to 100,000 women in the United States alone are potential candidates for letrozole treatment. While the encouraging news about letrozole could alter current practices in cancer treatment, not all patients are candidates to take the drug, and many questions about the drug�s long-term side effects and efficacy remain unanswered. |