Two new breast cancer treatments being trialled

Around 40 New Zealand breast cancer patients are hoped to be taking part in an international drug trial which aims to improve medication used to prevent recurrence of the disease.

The trial will compare two new inhibitors - treatments which effectively starve breast cancer cells of oestrogen, preventing the disease from recurring in post-treatment breast cancer patients.

Research nurse Jenni Scarlet is co-ordinating the trial from Waikato and Auckland Hospitals, and said it was hoped about 5000 women worldwide would take part.

The trial would not suit all breast cancer patients -- the women must be post-menopausal, and have already received treatment for the disease.

The trial is being funded by pharmaceutical research company Novartis.

She said the current inhibitor, tamoxifen, had been used for between 25 and 30 years.

A new family of three inhibitors had been created nearly 10 years ago, and the trial would put two of them - anastrozole and letrozole - head to head against each other.

Both were believed to be more effective than tamoxifen.

The drugs would be tested for their effectiveness in shutting down the cancer cells and their side effects, including the impact on bone density.

She said it was hoped about 20 women at each hospital would take part in the trial.

- NZPA