Cancer Counselors Pleased With Information on Tamoxifen Prevention

WASHINGTON--Feedback indicates that the National Cancer Institute did quite well in equipping counselors in advance to deal with questions posed by women about the ability of tamoxifen (Nolvadex) to prevent breast cancer, NCI director Richard D. Klausner, MD, told a Senate subcommittee.

The agency sought the feedback after announcing the termination of the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial, run by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP). The trial was stopped 14 months early after its monitoring committee determined that patients receiving tamoxifen (Nolvadex) had a 45% reduction in breast cancer incidence, compared with the placebo arm.

"The preliminary findings from a survey of cancer center directors, NCI’s Cancer Information Service, principal investigators of the NSABP, and the advocacy community indicate that it was possible for them to respond to most inquires and counseling requests using information already provided by NCI and NSABP," Dr. Klausner said.