Women Sought for Study of Drug That May Block Cancer

By Bob Groves

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is enrolling postmenopausal women who are predisposed to breast cancer to test a steroidal drug that may prevent the disease in healthy women.

UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School in Newark is holding clinical trials as part of an international study of the drug, Exemestane, manufactured by Pfizer Inc. Exemestane inhibits production of estrogen, the female hormone that breast cancer cells need to survive. The study is funded by the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

A previous study showed that Exemestane prevented new cancers in the opposite breast of women being treated with the drug, suggesting it may also work in healthy women, said Dr. Norman L. Lasser of UMDNJ. Lasser directs the Women’s Health Initiative, a 17-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Another study found that Exemestane was more effective than the standard treatment drug, tamoxifen, in preventing recurrence of breast cancer or new cells, Lasser said. Participants must be at least 35, naturally or surgically postmenopausal, and at increased risk of developing breast cancer based on age, family history and other factors. For information, call UMDNJ at (973) 972-6107.