Pfizer reports switching to Aromasin from tamoxifen improves survival for women with early breast cancer

New York, June 5 - Pfizer Inc. said that new data from the Intergroup Exemestane Study showed that hormone-sensitive postmenopausal early breast cancer patients who switched to Aromasin after two to three years of tamoxifen were 17% more likely to be alive and were 25% less likely to have their cancer return than patients who continued on tamoxifen for a full five years of therapy.

"Exemestane is the only anti-hormonal therapy that has been shown to demonstrate improved overall survival over tamoxifen alone," said lead investigator Charles Coombes, director of cancer medicine at Imperial College, London, in a news release.

"These significant survival benefits were seen in patients who are considered hormone sensitive, which represents 97% of the study population. Although not statistically significant in the intent to treat population, 15% of patients taking Aromasin were more likely to be alive versus those that continued on tamoxifen."

The findings were based on nearly five years of follow-up after randomization in the Intergroup Exemestane Study trial. The study was a large randomized double blind multinational trial of postmenopausal women with early breast cancer which was designed to compare the clinical benefits of switching 2,352 patients to Aromasin after two to three years of tamoxifen versus continuing 2,372 patients on tamoxifen for a full five years of therapy. The five-year follow-up time includes a period of observation lasting over two years after completion of all treatment.

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