The Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center at West Virginia University is among the nation’s clinical trial sites to participate in one of the largest breast cancer prevention studies ever conducted. Early findings indicate a promising option for women at increased risk of breast cancer.

Initial results of the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene, or STAR, show that the drug raloxifene is just as effective as tamoxifen in reducing breast cancer risk for postmenopausal women at increased risk of the disease. Raloxifene is currently used to prevent and treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Nearly 20-thousand postmenopausal women at increased risk were enrolled nationally. Thirty-four participated in the study at WVU. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either tamoxifen or raloxifene daily for five years.

The study found that both drugs reduced the risk of developing invasive breast cancer by about 50%. However, women who took raloxifene had 36 % fewer uterine cancers and 29% fewer blood clots than their counterparts on tamoxifen. Uterine cancers, especially endometrial cancers, are a rare but serious side effect of tamoxifen. Both drugs are known to increase a woman’s risk of blood clots.