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Forum Set On Breast Cancer Fight North Idaho Cancer Center Still Looking For Women To Take Part In Drug Study

By Heather Lalley heatherl@spokesman.com

Kootenai Medical Center and the North Idaho Cancer Center will host a free seminar Thursday on breast cancer prevention.

The cancer center is recruiting post-menopausal women to participate in a national study of drugs to prevent breast cancer.

Just three women have enrolled in the study of tamoxifen and raloxifene since the program was announced in May, study coordinator Ayse Tezcan said. Another six women are eligible for the trial, but they must wait three months for the hormone replacement therapies they were taking to leave their systems, Tezcan said. Five women are still waiting for final test results to determine their eligibility, she said.

More than 100 women have called the cancer center about the study, but many were not eligible to participate.

“Women are worried,” said Cindy Shannon, cancer center outreach coordinator. “A lot of women who are worried just don’t meet the high-risk criteria. Either they’re not old enough, or not post-menopausal. Others, after they learn the risks and benefits, may not be that interested.”

Nationwide, 1,000 women at 400 centers have signed up for the study in which scientists hope to learn whether raloxifene better prevents breast cancer than the widely used tamoxifen, Tezcan said. Raloxifene is currently used to treat the brittle-bone disease osteoporosis.

In addition to providing information on the study, Thursday’s breast cancer prevention forum will also focus on heredity, self-exams, diagnosis and treatment.

The forum runs from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the KMC Health Resource Center.

Call KMC Educational Services at 666-2030 to register for the forum. For information on the drug trial, call the cancer center at 666-3828.

This sidebar appeared with the story: FORUM In addition to providing information on the study, Thursday’s breast cancer prevention forum will also focus on heredity, self-exams, diagnosis and treatment. The forum runs from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the KMC Health Resource Center.