4

Elderly patients deserve clinical trials of chemotherapy in breast cancer

Despite the fact that breast cancer is the commonest form of cancer in women over 70 years of age and> 50% of breast cancer deaths occur in those over 65 years of age, few trials of therapy for breast cancer have been carried out in the elderl y. Fears of excessi ve t oxicity of chemotherapy in the elderl y were shown to be unfounded in a recent studv and may be avoided by dose reductions. Mortality from causes other th an breas t ca nccr l11 a\' cloud result s of sun' i\a l stud ies of nc\\ drugs i;l th c el der ly but should not pre\l' nt cost-benefit studies bei ng co nducted. t-uti1 cnnorl' . IhL" belie·f thin chcrnct hcr:!py is inetlect i\ e in postmenopausal \\ omen has been di s pro \\.~d In 2 studies of patients with node-negati q ' breas t cancer.

Of t ria ls th at have been condu cted in the elderh . I tri al in which pati ent s wi th breast cance;' recei\ed tamo\i fe n f or 2 yea rs had the m05t successful results: anuther t ria l combini ng tamo\ ifc n and prednisone \ \'as also encoura ging. In both s tudi es the di sease-frcl' sun i\a l \\ as Im pro\ ed . H o\\c\er. the add ition of tamo\!icn 10 rad iotherapy for I year did not appea r to impro \ e s uni\al compared with radiotherapy alone. Future studies comparing ta mox ifen , surgery and radiotherapy in the elderl y a re underway and more are needed. (;oIJ hi r,,'h .\. ( ;c' IIl1;\I, KS. l ;c' llwT K I). C;"lighIJ llc' \ 1. r ' c,;, l mc' lll o f hl"l.'JSl ... :all(.\.' r in ddl' r1 y pal il'nh. I ;In!.:L't .l .'(): S(\~ . I SL' P I l)l)n

15 S rp 1990 /;\'PIIARMA"J ISSN 11156-2703/90/11915-0004/ 0SIJI.OO/ 0 «) Adis International Ltd