Goserelin (Zoladex) is as effective as standard chemotherapy for hormone-sensitive
early breast cancer, according to new research.
Results from the ZEBRA (Zoladex in early breast cancer research association
trial) study were presented at a European breast cancer care conference in Brussels
on September 28. The study involved 1,640 pre- and perimenopausal women with
early breast cancer who received either goserelin 3.6mg every 28 days for two
years or six 28-day cycles of standard chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate
and 5-fluorouracil).
In patients who were hormone-sensitive (73 per cent of the study population),
goserelin was shown to be equivalent to chemotherapy in terms of disease-free
survival. In patients who were not hormone-sensitive, chemotherapy gave better
results. Goserelin was associated with fewer adverse effects than chemotherapy.
Professor Mike Baum (emeritus professor of surgery, University College London,
and chairman, Cancer Research Campaign breast cancer trials group) told The
Journal on October 10 that the ZEBRA results were “impressive”. The
study showed that in oestrogen receptor-positive patients, chemotherapy or goserelin
gave equivalent outcomes. He said that women should be aware that there might
be alternatives to chemotherapy if they were hormone-receptor positive. “The
gold standard for treatment was chemotherapy and tamoxifen but we have now got
sufficient evidence to suggest that ovarian suppression and tamoxifen is equivalent,”
he concluded.