Mincey, Betty A.

557 Background: Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are a novel hormonal therapy for breast cancer. However, AIs can cause bone loss by blocking estrogen production. This study aims to assess the association between AIs and treatment-related bone loss in a large managed care population of women with breast cancer. Methods: Using medical and pharmacy claims data from over 5 million beneficiaries between 01/01/1998 and 01/31/2005, we identified 12,368 patients with ≥ 2 breast cancer claims in a 6-month period, who also had no bone metastasis and no prior osteoporosis or fracture claims. Patients who received anti-estrogen therapy were also excluded to remove the protective confounding effects. 1,354 patients receiving an AI (anastrozole, exemestane, letrozole) were compared to 11,014 controls who did not receive an AI with respect to their risk of bone loss. The observation start date for the AI and control groups was defined as the service date of the first AI claim and breast cancer claim, respectively. The bone loss endpoints analyzed were osteoporosis (including osteopenia) and clinical fractures. Results: The univariate analysis found that the prevalence of osteoporosis was 8.7% in the AI group vs. 7.1% in the control group, resulting in a statistically significant relative risk of 1.3 (95% CI=1.1–1.6, p=0.01). The prevalence of bone fracture was also statistically significantly elevated in the AI group compared to the controls (13.5% vs. 10.3%) with a relative risk of 1.4 (95% CI=1.2–1.6, p=0.001). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regressions showed that after adjusting for age and comorbidities, the risk of bone loss remained statistically significantly higher in the AI group than the non-AI group, with 27% (95% CI=4%-55%, p=0.02) and 21% (95% CI=3%-43%, p=0.02) increase in the risk of osteoporosis and fractures, respectively. Conclusions: This retrospective longitudinal analysis of a large cohort of breast cancer patients corroborates previous findings from smaller clinical trials and demonstrates that AI therapies carry an increased risk of bone loss. Monitoring and treatment management strategies to alleviate bone loss risk are warranted in women receiving AI for breast cancer. [Table: see text]

Purpose Risedronate prevents bone loss in postmenopausal women. The purpose of this study was to determine whether risedronate prevents bone loss in premenopausal women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Patients and Methods Premenopausal women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer were treated with oral calcium 600 mg and vitamin D 400 U daily and randomly assigned to receive oral risedronate 35 mg weekly or placebo, with all these therapies beginning within a month of the start of chemotherapy. Most chemotherapy regimens included anthracyclines, taxanes, or cyclophosphamide. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured at baseline and 1 year. The primary end point was the change in lumbar spine (LS) BMD from baseline to 1 year. Results A total of 216 women enrolled; 170 women provided BMD data at 1 year. There was no difference in the mean change or percent change in LS BMD between groups, with a loss of 4.3% in the risedronate arm and 5.4% for placebo at 1 year (P = .18). Loss of BMD at the femoral neck and total hip were also similar between treatment groups. Risedronate was well tolerated, with no significant differences in adverse events compared with placebo, except that arthralgias and chest pain were worse in those receiving the placebos. Conclusion Risedronate did not prevent bone loss in premenopausal women undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Abstract Learning Objectives After completing this course, the reader will be able to: Identify appropriate candidates for consideration of genetic testing for mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2. Explain the importance of appropriate patient counseling prior to proceeding with genetic testing for mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2, including genetic counseling and education regarding interpretation and implications of test results. Discuss risk management options for BRCA mutation carriers and the available evidence regarding their effectiveness. Access and take the CME test online and receive one hour of AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.com It is estimated that 5%–10% of all breast cancers in women are associated with hereditary susceptibility due to mutations in autosomal dominant genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, p53, pTEN, and STK11/LKB1. Another 15%–20% of female breast cancers occur in women with a family history but without an apparent autosomal dominant inheritance pattern, and are probably due to other genetic factors with environmental influence. Approximately 7%–10% of ovarian cancers occur in women with hereditary susceptibility, primarily secondary to mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2, with smaller contributions from mutations in mismatch repair genes associated with the hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and other, as yet undiscovered, genes.

Abstract Learning Objectives After completing this course, the reader will be able to: Understand how evaluation of risk of relapse, results of clincial trials, risk/benefit ratio, and patient preference each contribute to the selection of appropriate adjuvant therapy of breast cancer. Understand the important prognostic and predictive factors in the adjuvant therapy of breast cancer. Understand the roles of local therapy, hormonal treatment, and chemotherapy in the adjuvant therapy of breast cancer. Understand the recommendations of the 2000 NIH Consensus Development Conference: Advances in Breast Cancer. Access and take the CME test online and receive one hour of AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.com Determining the optimal individual adjuvant systemic therapy for breast cancer patients is a challenging undertaking because it requires translating data from clinical trials that have involved thousands of patients into a highly individualized, risk-adjusted approach for the patient at hand. Choosing adjuvant therapy for women with breast cancer includes consideration of four issues: A) evaluation of risk of relapse; B) extrapolation of results from clinical trials; C) therapeutic ratio, and D) the patient's preferences following a thorough discussion with her physician. Data from recently completed phase III adjuvant trials and worldwide consensus conferences document the benefits of adjuvant therapy in improving disease-free survival and overall survival for patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer >1.0 cm in size. The benefits of hormonal therapy are clear, but limited to patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Anthracyclines lead to improved outcomes compared with nonanthracycline regimens. Taxanes appear to improve disease-free survival in patients with node-positive disease, although longer follow-up is required to assess their impact on overall survival. Some countries have reported a reduction in the mortality rate from breast cancer over the past several years. The improved survival rate is due, at least in part, to the use of adjuvant systemic therapy. Ongoing studies are evaluating targeted therapies, with the potential of remarkably improving patient outcome.