Reproducibility of visual assessment on mammographic density

BACKGROUND

High mammographic density was an independent risk factor for breast cancer and has a higher associated risk than most other known risk factors. The reproducibility remains a major issue in assessment of breast parenchymal patterns. Misclassification of mammographic pattern can lead to significant underestimation of risk estimates. The purpose of this study was to assess the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability based on visual subjective mammographic density measurements.

METHOD

Three density measures, Wolfe parenchymal pattern, Boyd classification scale, and a percentage of densities in total breast, were investigated. The study included 101 women who were participants of the International Breast Cancer Intervention Study I (IBIS I) for up to 7 years. Seven sets of mammograms were collected for each woman. Left breast mediolateral oblique films were digitized, and the scanned images were independently reviewed by two readers. These images were reassessed by one reader after a year. The agreements of measures were evaluated by Kappa statistics (Wolfe and Boyd scale) and intraclass correlation coefficient (percentage densities).

RESULTS

For the inter-rater agreement, Weighted Kappa for Wolfe scale was 0.89 (P < 0.0001) and for Boyd scale was 0.84 (P < 0.0001). The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.94 for percentage densities. For the intra-rater agreement, Weighted Kappa for Wolfe scale was 0.87 (P < 0.0001) and for Boyd scale was 0.86 (P < 0.0001). The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.96 for percentage densities.

CONCLUSION

The study concludes that both visual qualitative and quantitative measurements on mammographic density are highly reproducible in the breast cancer research studies if appropriate training is provided. The method is appropriate for risk assessment in a prevention trial.

Critical assessment of new risk factors for breast cancer: considerations for development of an improved risk prediction model

The majority of candidates for breast cancer prevention have not accepted tamoxifen because of the perception of an unfavorable risk/benefit ratio and the acceptance of raloxifene remains to be determined. One means of improving this ratio is to identify women at very high risk of breast cancer. Family history, age, atypia in a benign biopsy, and reproductive factors are the main parameters currently used to determine risk. The most powerful risk factor, mammographic density, is not presently employed routinely. Other potentially important factors are plasma estrogen and androgen levels, bone density, weight gain, age of menopause, and fracture history, which are also not currently used in a comprehensive risk prediction model because of lack of prospective validation. The Breast Cancer Prevention Collaborative Group (BCPCG) met to critically examine and prioritize risk factors that might be selected for further testing by multivariate analysis using existing clinical material. The BCPCG reached a consensus that quantitative breast density, state of the art plasma estrogen and androgen measurements, history of fracture and height loss, BMI, and waist-hip ratio had sufficient priority for further testing. As a practical approach, these parameters could be added to the existing Tyrer-Cuzick model which encompasses factors included in both the Claus and Gail models. The BCPCG analyzed potentially available clinical material from previous prospective studies and determined that a large case/control study to evaluate these new factors might be feasible at this time.

Final 12-year follow-up of Surgery versus Surveillance in the UK Small Aneurysm Trial

Background

The aim was to determine whether early open surgical repair would benefit patients with small abdominal aortic aneurysm compared with surveillance on long-term follow-up.

Methods

The 1090 patients who were enrolled into the UK Small Aneurysm Trial between 1991 and 1995 were followed up for aneurysm repair and mortality until November 2005.

Results

By November 2005, 714 patients (65·5 per cent) had died, 929 (85·2 per cent) had undergone aneurysm repair, 150 (13·8 per cent) had died without aneurysm repair and 11 (1·0 per cent) remained alive without aneurysm repair. After 12 years, mortality in the surgery and surveillance groups was 63·9 and 67·3 per cent respectively, unadjusted hazard ratio 0·90 (P = 0·139). Three-quarters of the surveillance group eventually had aneurysm repair, with a 30-day elective mortality of 6·3 per cent (versus 5·0 per cent in the early surgery group, P = 0·366). Estimates suggested that the cost of treatment was 17 per cent higher in the early surgery group, with a mean difference of £1326. The death rate in these patients was about twice that in the population matched for age and sex.

Conclusion

There was no long-term survival benefit of early elective open repair of small abdominal aortic aneurysms. Even after successful aneurysm repair, the mortality among these patients was higher than in the general population.

Predictors of early relapse in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer in the BIG 1-98 trial

BACKGROUND

Aromatase inhibitors are considered standard adjuvant endocrine treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, but it remains uncertain whether aromatase inhibitors should be given upfront or sequentially with tamoxifen. Awaiting results from ongoing randomized trials, we examined prognostic factors of an early relapse among patients in the BIG 1-98 trial to aid in treatment choices.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Analyses included all 7707 eligible patients treated on BIG 1-98. The median follow-up was 2 years, and the primary end point was breast cancer relapse. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify prognostic factors.

RESULTS

Two hundred and eighty-five patients (3.7%) had an early relapse (3.1% on letrozole, 4.4% on tamoxifen). Predictive factors for early relapse were node positivity (P < 0.001), absence of both receptors being positive (P < 0.001), high tumor grade (P < 0.001), HER-2 overexpression/amplification (P < 0.001), large tumor size (P = 0.001), treatment with tamoxifen (P = 0.002), and vascular invasion (P = 0.02). There were no significant interactions between treatment and the covariates, though letrozole appeared to provide a greater than average reduction in the risk of early relapse in patients with many involved lymph nodes, large tumors, and vascular invasion present.

CONCLUSION

Upfront letrozole resulted in significantly fewer early relapses than tamoxifen, even after adjusting for significant prognostic factors.

The role of the number of uninvolved lymph nodes in predicting locoregional recurrence in breast cancer

PURPOSE

To identify groups of early breast cancer patients with substantial risk (10-year risk > 20%) for locoregional failure (LRF) who might benefit from postmastectomy radiotherapy (RT).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Prognostic factors for LRF were evaluated among 6,660 patients (2,588 node-negative patients, 4,072 node-positive patients) in International Breast Cancer Study Group Trials I to IX treated with chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy, and observed for a median of 14 years. In total, 1,251 LRFs were detected. All patients were treated with mastectomy without RT.

RESULTS

No group with 10-year LRF risk exceeding 20% was found among patients with node-negative disease. Among patients with node-positive breast cancer, increasing numbers of uninvolved nodes were significantly associated with decreased risk of LRF, even after adjustment for other prognostic factors. The highest quartile of uninvolved nodes was compared with the lowest quartile. Among premenopausal patients, LRF risk was decreased by 35% (P = .0010); among postmenopausal patients, LRF risk was decreased by 46% (P < .0001). The 10-year cumulative incidence of LRF was 20% among patients with one to three involved lymph nodes and fewer than 10 uninvolved nodes. Age younger than 40 years and vessel invasion were also associated significantly with increased risk. Among patients with node-positive disease, overall survival was significantly greater in those with higher numbers of uninvolved nodes examined (P < .0001).

CONCLUSION

Patients with one to three involved nodes and a low number of uninvolved nodes, vessel invasion, or young age have an increased risk of LRF and may be candidates for a similar treatment as those with at least four lymph node metastases.

Long-term results of tamoxifen prophylaxis for breast cancer--96-month follow-up of the randomized IBIS-I trial

BACKGROUND

Initial results from the first International Breast Cancer Intervention Study (IBIS-I) found that tamoxifen reduced the risk of invasive estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumors by 31% in women at increased risk for breast cancer, but most of the follow-up at this time was during the active treatment phase. We report an updated analysis of IBIS-I that focuses on the period after active treatment was completed, a time for which little evidence from other trials is available.

METHODS

A total of 7145 women who were aged 35-70 years and at increased risk of breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive either tamoxifen (20 mg/day) or placebo for 5 years. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of breast cancer (including ductal carcinoma in situ), but side effects were also investigated. Relative risks were computed as the ratio of incidence rates. All statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 96 months after randomization, 142 breast cancers were diagnosed in the 3579 women in the tamoxifen group and 195 in the 3575 women in the placebo group (4.97 versus 6.82 per 1000 woman-years, respectively; risk ratio [RR] = 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.58 to 0.91, P = .004). The prophylactic effect of tamoxifen was fairly constant for the entire follow-up period, and no diminution of benefit was observed for up to 10 years after randomization. However, side effects in the tamoxifen group were much lower after completion of the active treatment period than during active treatment. For example, deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism were statistically significantly higher in the tamoxifen arm than in the placebo arm during active treatment (52 versus 23 cases, RR = 2.26, 95% CI = 1.36 to 3.87) but not after tamoxifen was stopped (16 versus 14 cases, RR = 1.14, 95% CI = 0.52 to 2.53). The two arms did not differ in the risk of ER-negative invasive tumors (35 in each arm, RR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.61 to 1.65) across the entire follow-up period, but the risk of ER-positive invasive breast cancer was 34% lower in the tamoxifen arm (87 versus 132 cases, RR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.50 to 0.87).

CONCLUSIONS

The risk-reducing effect of tamoxifen appears to persist for at least 10 years, but most side effects of tamoxifen do not continue after the 5-year treatment period.

Five years of letrozole compared with tamoxifen as initial adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women with endocrine-responsive early breast cancer: update of study BIG 1-98

PURPOSE

Previous analyses of the Breast International Group (BIG) 1-98 four-arm study compared initial therapy with letrozole or tamoxifen including patients randomly assigned to sequential treatment whose information was censored at the time of therapy change. Because this presentation may unduly reflect early events, the present analysis is limited to patients randomly assigned to the continuous therapy arms and includes protocol-defined updated results.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Four thousand nine hundred twenty-two of the 8,028 postmenopausal women with receptor-positive early breast cancer randomly assigned (double-blind) to the BIG 1-98 trial were assigned to 5 years of continuous adjuvant therapy with either letrozole or tamoxifen; the remainder of women were assigned to receive the agents in sequence. Disease-free survival (DFS) was the primary end point.

RESULTS

At a median follow-up time of 51 months, we observed 352 DFS events among 2,463 women receiving letrozole and 418 events among 2,459 women receiving tamoxifen. This reflected an 18% reduction in the risk of an event (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.71 to 0.95; P = .007). No predefined subsets showed differential benefit. Adverse events were similar to previous reports. Patients on tamoxifen experienced more thromboembolic events, endometrial pathology, hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal bleeding. Patients on letrozole experienced more bone fractures, arthralgia, low-grade hypercholesterolemia, and cardiovascular events other than ischemia and cardiac failure.

CONCLUSION

The present updated analysis, which was limited to patients on monotherapy arms in BIG 1-98, yields results similar to those from the previous primary analysis but more directly comparable with results from other trials of continuous therapy using a single endocrine agent.

Adjuvant chemotherapy followed by goserelin compared with either modality alone: the impact on amenorrhea, hot flashes, and quality of life in premenopausal patients--the International Breast Cancer Study Group Trial VIII

PURPOSE

The purpose of this article is to compare quality of life (QOL) and menopausal symptoms among premenopausal patients with lymph node-negative breast cancer receiving chemotherapy, goserelin, or their sequential combination, and to investigate differential effects by age.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We evaluated QOL data from 874 pre- and perimenopausal women with lymph node-negative breast cancer who were randomly assigned to receive six courses of classical cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF) chemotherapy, ovarian suppression with goserelin for 24 months, or six courses of classical CMF followed by 18 months of goserelin. We report QOL data collected during 3 years after random assignment in patients without disease recurrence.

RESULTS

Overall, patients receiving goserelin alone showed a marked improvement or less deterioration in QOL measures over the first 6 months than those patients treated with CMF. There were no differences at 3 years after random assignment according to treatment except for hot flashes. As reflected in the hot flashes scores, patients in all three treatment groups experienced induced amenorrhea, but the onset of ovarian function suppression was slightly delayed for patients receiving chemotherapy. Younger patients (< 40 years) who received goserelin alone returned to their premenopausal status at 6 months after the cessation of therapy, while those who received CMF showed marginal changes from their baseline hot flashes scores.

CONCLUSION

Age-adjusted risk profiles that consider patient-reported outcomes enable patients to adapt to their disease and treatment, such as considering the trade-offs between delayed endocrine symptoms, but higher risk of permanent menopause with chemotherapy, and immediate but reversible endocrine symptoms with goserelin, in younger premenopausal patients.

The use of early adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy: contributions from the BIG 1-98 letrozole trial

Letrozole has proven efficacious in a variety of therapeutic scenarios, including that of extended adjuvant therapy following 5 years of tamoxifen treatment in postmenopausal women with estrogen-receptor-positive early breast cancer. The Breast International Group 1-98 trial (BIG 1-98) is the first to study the efficacy of upfront letrozole treatment and the first to evaluate the benefits of initial versus sequential aromatase inhibitor therapy. At 25.8 months of follow-up, the primary core analysis of BIG 1-98 compared the efficacy of upfront letrozole treatment with that of upfront tamoxifen treatment in 8,010 postmenopausal women with early breast cancer. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS). Secondary endpoints included overall survival, distant DFS, systemic DFS, and safety. Letrozole significantly increased DFS, reduced distant recurrences, and prolonged time to distant metastasis compared with tamoxifen. The advantage for letrozole was particularly evident in women at increased risk of recurrence (node-positive and/or chemotherapy treated). Compared with tamoxifen, postmenopausal women receiving letrozole treatment experienced less venous thromboembolic and endometrial events, but more skeletal and grade 3-5 cardiac events, although the frequencies of these latter events were relatively low in both arms (2.1% v 1.1%). There were more deaths from noncancer causes in the letrozole group, but the numbers were small and, overall, there were 14% fewer deaths among patients in the letrozole group. Letrozole has an efficacy advantage over tamoxifen and can now be considered part of standard adjuvant therapy for postmenopausal women with endocrine-responsive breast cancer. Women at increased risk for recurrence may obtain protective benefit from letrozole. Letrozole is generally well tolerated and is associated with a similar frequency of serious side effects, but fewer deaths, than tamoxifen.

Randomized comparison of reduction and fixation, bipolar hemiarthroplasty, and total hip arthroplasty. Treatment of displaced intracapsular hip fractures in healthy older patients

BACKGROUND

Orthopaedic surgeons vary in their management of displaced intracapsular fractures of the hip in healthy older patients. The aim of this investigation was to determine the functional, clinical, and resource consequences of three different types of surgical treatment.

METHODS

The study was a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Reduction and fixation was compared with bipolar hemiarthroplasty with cement and total hip replacement with cement. Participating surgeons elected to randomize their patients to be treated with either one of the three types of procedures or with either fixation or bipolar hemiarthroplasty. Functional outcomes were measured with a hip-rating questionnaire and the EuroQol health status measure. Clinical outcomes included mortality and complications. The direct health service costs were compared. Participants were followed up for two years.

RESULTS

Two hundred and seven patients were randomized to be treated with one of the three operations, and ninety-one were randomized to be treated with either fixation or bipolar hemiarthroplasty. There were no differences in the mortality rates among the treatment groups. The rate of secondary surgery was highest in the fixation group (39% compared with 5% in the group treated with bipolar hemiarthroplasty and 9% in the group treated with total hip replacement). The fixation group had the worst hip-rating-questionnaire and EuroQol scores at four and twelve months. The total hip replacement group had significantly better functional outcome scores at twenty-four months than the other two groups. Although fixation was initially the least costly procedure, this short-term advantage was eroded by significantly higher costs for subsequent hip-related hospital admissions.

CONCLUSIONS

Arthroplasty is more clinically effective and cost-effective than reduction and fixation in healthy older patients with a displaced intracapsular fracture of the hip. The long-term results of total hip replacement may be better than those of bipolar hemiarthroplasty.

Displaced intracapsular hip fractures in fit, older people: a randomised comparison of reduction and fixation, bipolar hemiarthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty

OBJECTIVES

To compare internal fixation, bipolar hemiarthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty for the management of displaced subcapital fracture of the hip in previously fit patients of 60 years or older.

DESIGN

A prospective randomised clinical trial.

SETTING

This multicentre trial was carried out in 11 Scottish hospitals with acute orthopaedic trauma units.

PARTICIPANTS

The participants were 298 previously fit patients of 60 years or older with displaced subcapital hip fractures.

INTERVENTIONS

The three surgical interventions for comparison were reduction and fixation, bipolar hemiarthroplasty and total arthroplasty (total hip replacement). Participating surgeons elected to randomise patients either among all three types of operation (three-way randomisation) or just between fixation and hemiarthroplasty (two-way randomisation).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Clinical outcomes were mortality rates, reoperation rates and the complication rates associated with each procedure. Functional outcome was measured using a hip specific questionnaire [Johanson Hip Rating Questionnaire (HRQ)] and a general health status questionnaire [EuroQol 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D)]. Economic analysis compared the costs in the randomised groups of hospital treatment for the initial and subsequent admissions for up to 2 years.

RESULTS

Altogether, 207 patients were randomised among all three trial operations, and 91 between just fixation and bipolar hemiarthroplasty. There were no statistically significant differences in clinical outcomes, but confidence intervals (CIs) were wide. At 2 years fixation failure reached 37% among those allocated fixation and 39% had undergone further surgery. Further surgery rates after hemiarthroplasty and total hip replacement were 5% and 9%, respectively. The group allocated fixation had significantly worse HRQ and EQ-5D scores than both arthroplasty groups at 4 and 12 months. At 24 months the results still favoured arthroplasty, but the overall HRQ and EQ-5D scores were no longer statistically significant. Total hip replacement had the best patient-assessed outcome scores. At 24 months the overall HRQ and EQ-5D scores for total hip replacement were significantly better than for hemiarthroplasty. The mean costs for the initial episode ranged from 6384 pounds Sterling for fixation to 7633 pounds Sterling for total hip replacement. The cost differences were largely due to differences in theatre costs and the cost of prostheses and hardware. The cumulative cost over 2 years of hemiarthroplasty was around 3000 pounds Sterling lower than for fixation (95% CI 1227 pounds Sterling to 7192 pounds Sterling). Compared with total hip replacement, both fixation and hemiarthroplasty were characterised by increased costs arising from hip-replacement admissions. When total (initial episode and subsequent hip-related admissions) hip-related costs are compared, total hip replacement conferred a cost advantage of around 3000 pounds Sterling per patient (versus hemiarthroplasty, 95% CI -pounds Sterling 1400 to 7420 pounds Sterling).

CONCLUSIONS

In fit, older patients the results of the study show a clear advantage for arthroplasty over fixation; arthroplasty was more clinically effective and probably less costly over a 2-year period postsurgery. The results suggest that total hip replacement has long-term advantages over bipolar hemiarthroplasty, but these findings are less definite. This study provided support for the use of total hip replacement to treat displaced intracapsular hip fractures in fit, older patients. A larger trial comparing total versus hemiarthroplasty for these fractures could help to verify these findings. It would also be useful to know whether the findings of this study apply to patients aged 60 years or less who are usually treated with reduction and fixation. A clinical trial comparing arthroplasty versus fixation in patients older than 40 years would be a logical extension of the current study.

A comparison of letrozole and tamoxifen in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer

BACKGROUND

The aromatase inhibitor letrozole is a more effective treatment for metastatic breast cancer and more effective in the neoadjuvant setting than tamoxifen. We compared letrozole with tamoxifen as adjuvant treatment for steroid-hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

METHODS

The Breast International Group (BIG) 1-98 study is a randomized, phase 3, double-blind trial that compared five years of treatment with various adjuvant endocrine therapy regimens in postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer: letrozole, letrozole followed by tamoxifen, tamoxifen, and tamoxifen followed by letrozole. This analysis compares the two groups assigned to receive letrozole initially with the two groups assigned to receive tamoxifen initially; events and follow-up in the sequential-treatment groups were included up to the time that treatments were switched.

RESULTS

A total of 8010 women with data that could be assessed were enrolled, 4003 in the letrozole group and 4007 in the tamoxifen group. After a median follow-up of 25.8 months, 351 events had occurred in the letrozole group and 428 events in the tamoxifen group, with five-year disease-free survival estimates of 84.0 percent and 81.4 percent, respectively. As compared with tamoxifen, letrozole significantly reduced the risk of an event ending a period of disease-free survival (hazard ratio, 0.81; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.70 to 0.93; P=0.003), especially the risk of distant recurrence (hazard ratio, 0.73; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.60 to 0.88; P=0.001). Thromboembolism, endometrial cancer, and vaginal bleeding were more common in the tamoxifen group. Women given letrozole had a higher incidence of skeletal and cardiac events and of hypercholesterolemia.

CONCLUSIONS

In postmenopausal women with endocrine-responsive breast cancer, adjuvant treatment with letrozole, as compared with tamoxifen, reduced the risk of recurrent disease, especially at distant sites. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00004205.)

Randomized trial comparing axillary clearance versus no axillary clearance in older patients with breast cancer: first results of International Breast Cancer Study Group Trial 10-93

PURPOSE

Axillary clearance in early breast cancer aims to improve locoregional control and provide staging information but is associated with undesirable morbidity. We therefore investigated whether avoiding axillary surgery in older women would result in improved quality of life (QL) with similar disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between 1993 and 2002, women > or = 60 years old with clinically node-negative operable breast cancer in whom adjuvant tamoxifen was considered indicated regardless of pathologic nodal status were randomly assigned to primary surgery plus axillary clearance (Sx + Ax) followed by tamoxifen (Tam) versus Sx without Ax followed by Tam for 5 consecutive years. The primary end point was QL reported by the patient and by physician assessment.

RESULTS

A total of 473 patients (234 to Sx + Ax, 239 to Sx) were randomly assigned. The median age was 74 years; 80% had estrogen receptor-positive disease. In both the patients' subjective assessment of their QL and the physicians' perception of the patients' QL, the largest adverse QL effects of Ax were observed from baseline to the first postoperative assessment, but the differences tended to disappear in 6 to 12 months. At a median follow-up of 6.6 years, results for Sx + Ax and Sx yielded similar DFS (6-year DFS, 67% v 66%; hazard ratio [HR] Sx + Ax/Sx, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.42; P = .69) and OS (6-year OS, 75% v 73%; HR Sx + Ax/Sx, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.46; P = .77).

CONCLUSION

Avoiding axillary clearance for women > or = 60 years old who have clinically node-negative disease and receive Tam for endocrine-responsive disease yields similar efficacy with better early QL.

Bypass versus angioplasty in severe ischaemia of the leg (BASIL): multicentre, randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

The treatment of rest pain, ulceration, and gangrene of the leg (severe limb ischaemia) remains controversial. We instigated the BASIL trial to compare the outcome of bypass surgery and balloon angioplasty in such patients.

METHODS

We randomly assigned 452 patients, who presented to 27 UK hospitals with severe limb ischaemia due to infra-inguinal disease, to receive a surgery-first (n=228) or an angioplasty-first (n=224) strategy. The primary endpoint was amputation (of trial leg) free survival. Analysis was by intention to treat. The BASIL trial is registered with the National Research Register (NRR) and as an International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial, number ISRCTN45398889.

FINDINGS

The trial ran for 5.5 years, and follow-up finished when patients reached an endpoint (amputation of trial leg above the ankle or death). Seven individuals were lost to follow-up after randomisation (three assigned angioplasty, two surgery); of these, three were lost (one angioplasty, two surgery) during the first year of follow-up. 195 (86%) of 228 patients assigned to bypass surgery and 216 (96%) of 224 to balloon angioplasty underwent an attempt at their allocated intervention at a median (IQR) of 6 (3-16) and 6 (2-20) days after randomisation, respectively. At the end of follow-up, 248 (55%) patients were alive without amputation (of trial leg), 38 (8%) alive with amputation, 36 (8%) dead after amputation, and 130 (29%) dead without amputation. After 6 months, the two strategies did not differ significantly in amputation-free survival (48 vs 60 patients; unadjusted hazard ratio 1.07, 95% CI 0.72-1.6; adjusted hazard ratio 0.73, 0.49-1.07). We saw no difference in health-related quality of life between the two strategies, but for the first year the hospital costs associated with a surgery-first strategy were about one third higher than those with an angioplasty-first strategy.

INTERPRETATION

In patients presenting with severe limb ischaemia due to infra-inguinal disease and who are suitable for surgery and angioplasty, a bypass-surgery-first and a balloon-angioplasty-first strategy are associated with broadly similar outcomes in terms of amputation-free survival, and in the short-term, surgery is more expensive than angioplasty.

Community-based stroke incidence in a Scottish population: the Scottish Borders Stroke Study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and case fatality of stroke in a geographically defined region of Scotland, a nation with a high cardiovascular risk.

METHODS

All strokes occurring in residents of the Scottish Borders (population 106,352) were identified during a 24-month period from 1998 to 2000 using multiple overlapping methods of case-ascertainment. Standard criteria were used to define stroke and case fatality. Stroke subtypes were determined by computer tomography (CT) scan, MRI, or autopsy.

RESULTS

790 strokes were identified; 596 were first-ever-in-a-lifetime strokes (FES). 91.1% of FES underwent CT scan and/or autopsy. The crude annual incidence rate per 100,000 per year was: 280 (95% CI, 258 to 304) overall, 197 (95% CI 179-217) cerebral infarction, 24 (95% CI 17-31) intracerebral haemorrhage, 11 (95% CI 7-16) subarachnoid haemorrhage and 49 (95% CI 40-59) undetermined stroke. 28 day FES case fatality was 15.9% (95% CI, 13.2 to 19.1) increasing to 26.3% (95% CI, 23.0 to 30.0) at 1 year. Comparing 18 previous worldwide incidence studies with the SBSS showed a similar relative risk of stroke incidence and case fatality for FES and FES subtypes.

CONCLUSIONS

The SBSS crude incidence rate is one of the highest in the world but age-adjusted rates, case fatality and relative risk for all stroke and stroke subtypes were not significantly different from the majority of previous studies. Unlike cardiovascular disease, the Scottish risk of stroke would appear to be similar to other populations worldwide.

Quantifying trade-offs: quality of life and quality-adjusted survival in a randomised trial of chemotherapy in postmenopausal patients with lymph node-negative breast cancer

We evaluated quality of life (QL) and quality-adjusted survival in International Breast Cancer Study Group Trial IX, a randomised trial including 1669 eligible patients receiving tamoxifen for 5 years or three prior cycles of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (CMF) followed by 57 months tamoxifen. During the time with CMF toxicity (Tox), without symptoms and toxicity (TWiST), and following relapse (Rel), patients scored their QL indicators and a utility indicator for subjective health estimation between ‘perfect’ and ‘worst’ health. Scores were averaged within Tox, TWiST and Rel and transformed to utilities. Mean durations for the three transition times were weighted with utilities to obtain mean quality-adjusted TWiST (Q-TWiST). Patients receiving CMF reported significantly worse scores for most QL domains at month 3, but less hot flushes. After completing chemotherapy, there were no differences by treatment groups. Benefits evaluated by Q-TWiST favoured the additional chemotherapy. CMF provided 3 more months of Q-TWiST for patients with ER-negative tumours, but CMF provided no benefit in Q-TWiST for patients with ER-positive tumours. Q-TWiST analysis based on patient ratings is feasible in large-scale cross-cultural clinical trials.

Results of the ATAC (Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination) trial after completion of 5 years' adjuvant treatment for breast cancer

The standard adjuvant endocrine treatment for postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive localised breast cancer is 5 years of tamoxifen, but recurrences and side-effects restrict its usefulness. The aromatase inhibitor anastrozole was compared with tamoxifen for 5 years in 9366 postmenopausal women with localised breast cancer. After a median follow-up of 68 months, anastrozole significantly prolonged disease-free survival (575 events with anastrozole vs 651 with tamoxifen, hazard ratio 0.87, 95% CI 0.78-0.97, p=0.01) and time-to-recurrence (402 vs 498, 0.79, 0.70-0.90, p=0.0005), and significantly reduced distant metastases (324 vs 375, 0.86, 0.74-0.99, p=0.04) and contralateral breast cancers (35 vs 59, 42% reduction, 12-62, p=0.01). Almost all patients have completed their scheduled treatment, and fewer withdrawals occurred with anastrozole than with tamoxifen. Anastrozole was also associated with fewer side-effects than tamoxifen, especially gynaecological problems and vascular events, but arthralgia and fractures were increased. Anastrozole should be the preferred initial treatment for postmenopausal women with localised hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer.

Risk factors for locoregional recurrence among breast cancer patients: results from International Breast Cancer Study Group Trials I through VII

PURPOSE

To explore prognostic factors for locoregional failures (LRF) among women treated for invasive breast cancer within clinical trials of adjuvant therapies.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study population consisted of 5,352 women who were treated with a modified radical mastectomy and enrolled in one of seven International Breast Cancer Study Group randomized trials. A total of 1,275 women with node-negative disease received either no adjuvant therapy or a single cycle of perioperative chemotherapy, and 4,077 women with node-positive disease received adjuvant chemotherapy of at least 3 months' duration and/or tamoxifen. Median follow-up is 12 to 15.5 years.

RESULTS

In women with node-negative disease, factors associated with increased risk of LRF were vascular invasion (VI) and tumor size greater than 2 cm for premenopausal and VI for postmenopausal patients. Of the 1,275 patients, 345 (27%) met criteria for the highest risk groups, and the 10-year cumulative incidences of LRF with or without distant metastases were 16% for premenopausal and 19% for postmenopausal women. For the node-positive cohort, number of nodes and tumor grade were factors for both menopausal groups, with additional prediction provided by VI for premenopausal and tumor size for postmenopausal patients. Of the 4,077 patients, 815 (20%) met criteria for the highest risk groups, and 10-year cumulative incidences were 35% for premenopausal and 34% for postmenopausal women.

CONCLUSION

LRFs are a significant problem after mastectomy alone even for some patients with node-negative breast cancer, as well as after mastectomy and adjuvant treatment for some subgroups of patients with node-positive disease. In addition to number of positive lymph nodes, predictors of LRF include tumor-related factors, such as vascular invasion, higher grade, and larger size.

Three Years' Follow-up from the ATAC Trial is Sufficient to Change Clinical Practice: A Debate

Tamoxifen is currently the adjuvant treatment of choice for postmenopausal women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer. However, in the treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced disease, the third-generation aromatase inhibitor anastrozole ('Arimidex') has been shown to be at least as effective as tamoxifen, and to be more effective than tamoxifen in patients with estrogen receptor-positive disease. Furthermore, anastrozole is well tolerated and is associated with fewer adverse reactions (such as thromboembolic events, vaginal bleeding, and endometrial cancer) compared with tamoxifen. A change in clinical practice has now emerged for the first-line treatment of postmenopausal advanced disease in patients, with tamoxifen becoming the second- or third-line choice for many clinicians. These data have raised questions about the optimal adjuvant treatment for postmenopausal women with early breast cancer. The 'Arimidex', Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination (ATAC) trial has compared the efficacy and safety of tamoxifen and anastrozole in the adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with early breast cancer. At 3 years' follow-up in the overall population, anastrozole demonstrated a significant benefit compared with tamoxifen for disease-free survival (DFS) (89.4% vs. 87.4%; p = 0.013), time to recurrence (hazard ratio = 0.79; p = 0.008), and contralateral breast cancers (odds ratio = 0.42; 95% confidence interval: 0.22-0.79; p = 0.007). Anastrozole produced improvements in quality of life similar to tamoxifen and was better tolerated for a number of predefined adverse events. Of course, a large body of evidence is available regarding the safety profile of tamoxifen and some feel that more data are needed from the ATAC trial to demonstrate that the early advantages of anastrozole over tamoxifen can be maintained in the longer term. However, a follow-up analysis at 47 months has confirmed that the tolerability profile and the absolute benefit of anastrozole were maintained over the extended follow-up period, demonstrating that the benefits of anastrozole are likely to be maintained over the long term. This review assesses these and other data from the ATAC trial and presents the arguments for and against whether 3 years' follow-up is sufficient to inform a change in clinical practice for the adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with early breast cancer.

Choosing between endocrine therapy and chemotherapy--or is there a role for combination therapy?

Results from many randomized trials of adjuvant breast cancer therapy have been presented in several overviews and at subsequent meetings. This manuscript reviews the current status of both chemo- and endocrine therapy and the prospects for combination therapy, as summarized at the NIH and St Gallen Consensus meetings. In conclusion, treatment selection should be based primarily on endocrine responsiveness; however, a collaborative approach involving the development of new agents and investigation of their optimal integration into therapy programs will ensure progress and improved patient care.