Ductal carcinoma in situ: Anastrozole versus tamoxifen

Dr Mamounas talks to ecancertv at SABCS 2015 about the outcomes of a study comparing the use of adjuvant anastrozole versus tamoxifen in postmenopausal patients with estrogen-receptor (ER) positive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

Traditionally women with estrogen-receptor (ER) positive DCIS undergoing lumpectomy have been treated with adjuvant tamoxifen. So the aim here was to see if treatment with anastrozole was as good at preventing local recurrence, Dr Mamounas explains.

Postmenopausal women under the age of 60 years particularly seemed to benefit from anastrozole rather than tamoxifen, he observes, but there was no advantage of one treatment over the other in older women. Anastrozole and tamoxifen have different side effect profiles, he notes, which would also influence treatment choice.