Area hospital essays breast cancer trials

If a woman's risk of getting breast cancer is high she may be eligible to join the STAR clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of the two drugs for breast cancer prevention.

According to Jennifer Vickerman, RN, MS, (advanced oncology clinical nurse) AOCN for Mills Peninsula, part of the reason Mills is involved in the STAR trials is because the hospital was part of the original trial, called the P1 prevention trial.

"This trial was to determine whether Tamoxifen would prevent breast cancer in high-risk women," Vickerman said.

The trial found that the drug reduced the risk of developing breast cancer by 45 percent.

"Because of that, the next step was to see if Raloxifene would work as well but with less side effects," Vickerman said. "It was the natural progression of the study."

She said the serious side effects for Tomixifen include increased risk for uterine cancer, and an increased risk of blood clots. Vickerman said these are very rare. The more common side effects are hot flashes and nausea.

There are currently three women at Mills participating in the STAR trials and Vickerman said they would love to have more.

The trial began July 1, 1999 and has a recruitment goal of 22,000 women nationally. In its first year, the STAR trial has 6,139 women participating in 500 clinics across the country.

The trial is funded by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Program (NSABB).

According to a recent report on the trials, NSABB originally estimated it would take five years to reach the goal of 22,000 women, but now estimates it will only take three years.

"It will probably take three to five years," Vickerman said. "What happens with these trials is they usually generate more interest when they first open. Recruitment also drops off after the first year."

"This is just one piece of our breast center [at Mills]," Vickerman said. "It is a complement to our services at the breast center."

Vickerman said this is one of the few preventative trials Mills offers. "It is very exciting for us. It takes [care] to a different level," she said. "This is a different group of women then we usually service - a different population, so it is an expansion of our services."

There is no fee for women to participate in the trial and the women are not paid for participating. Both drugs used in the trial are provided free by NSABB.

Peninsula is actually part of the larger research consortium, Sutter Hospitals and Mills is considered a sub-site for the STAR trials, Vickerman said.

According to the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO) breast cancer is the most common type of breast cancer in North American women.

Every three minutes in the United States, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and every 13 minutes a woman dies from the disease. There are currently over two million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

In an effort to raise funding for the treatment of breast cancer and to raise awareness as well, the California department of motor vehicles will be issuing breast cancer treatment plates which will fund life-saving treatment. The price for the plates is $50 over the normal registration fee with a $40 renewal fee.

Funds will be distributed through grants to health care providers offering treatment to the uninsured and underinsured.