TY - JOUR
T1 - Quality of life in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer after failure of tamoxifen
T2 - Formestane versus megestrol acetate as second-line hormonal treatment
AU - Bernhard, J.
AU - Castiglione-Gertsch, M.
AU - Hsu Schmitz, S. F.
AU - Thürlimann, B.
AU - Cavalli, F.
AU - Morant, R.
AU - Fey, M. F.
AU - Bonnefoi, H.
AU - Goldhirsch, A.
AU - Hürny, C.
PY - 1999/6
Y1 - 1999/6
N2 - The Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK) compared efficacy and toxicity of formestane (250 mg intramuscularly (i.m.) every 2 weeks) versus megestrol acetate (MGA; 160 mg orally daily) as second-line treatment in postmenopausal patients with advanced breast cancer and disease progression while on tamoxifen treatment in a randomised trial (Thurlimann B, Castiglione M, Hsu Schmitz SF, et aL Eur J Cancer 1997, 33, 1017-1024). Quality of life (QL) was evaluated as a secondary endpoint (n = 177). Overall, 83% (6691805) of expected QL forms were received, 88% (1551177) at baseline, 88% (4021457) on study treatment, and 65% (1121171) at treatment failure. Patients with no impairment in performance status reported better physical well-being (P=0.0001), mood (P=0.0007) and coping (P=0.03), and less tiredness (P=0.0001) and appetite/sense of taste disturbance (P=0.0001) at baseline. After adjustment for baseline, there was no statistically significant difference in QL by treatment. Baseline QL was strongly predictive for QL under treatment but not for time to treatment failure. In conclusion, the question of whether oestrogen deprivation (e.g. formestane) or addition of progesterone (MGA) has a more beneficial impact on QL needs further investigation. The subjective experience of second-line endocrine treatment varies considerably as a consequence of the large variation in the individual course of the disease and has to be judged on an individual basis.
AB - The Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK) compared efficacy and toxicity of formestane (250 mg intramuscularly (i.m.) every 2 weeks) versus megestrol acetate (MGA; 160 mg orally daily) as second-line treatment in postmenopausal patients with advanced breast cancer and disease progression while on tamoxifen treatment in a randomised trial (Thurlimann B, Castiglione M, Hsu Schmitz SF, et aL Eur J Cancer 1997, 33, 1017-1024). Quality of life (QL) was evaluated as a secondary endpoint (n = 177). Overall, 83% (6691805) of expected QL forms were received, 88% (1551177) at baseline, 88% (4021457) on study treatment, and 65% (1121171) at treatment failure. Patients with no impairment in performance status reported better physical well-being (P=0.0001), mood (P=0.0007) and coping (P=0.03), and less tiredness (P=0.0001) and appetite/sense of taste disturbance (P=0.0001) at baseline. After adjustment for baseline, there was no statistically significant difference in QL by treatment. Baseline QL was strongly predictive for QL under treatment but not for time to treatment failure. In conclusion, the question of whether oestrogen deprivation (e.g. formestane) or addition of progesterone (MGA) has a more beneficial impact on QL needs further investigation. The subjective experience of second-line endocrine treatment varies considerably as a consequence of the large variation in the individual course of the disease and has to be judged on an individual basis.
KW - Advanced breast cancer
KW - Aromatase inhibitor
KW - Formestane
KW - Megestrol acetate
KW - Prognostic factors
KW - Quality of life
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033152170&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0033152170&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0959-8049(99)00028-3
DO - 10.1016/S0959-8049(99)00028-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 10533471
AN - SCOPUS:0033152170
VL - 35
SP - 913
EP - 920
JO - European Journal of Cancer
JF - European Journal of Cancer
SN - 0959-8049
IS - 6
ER -