Results of Adjuvant Treatment with Zoledronic Acid in Stage II/III Breast Cancer to be presented at symposium

The long-awaited results of the Adjuvant Treatment with Zoledronic Acid in Stage II/III Breast Cancer, the AZURE trial, will be presented at the 33rd Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held here Dec. 8-12.

"Adjuvant use of bisphosphonates like zoledronic acid is widespread among women with breast cancer, and the results of this trial will help answer many questions as well invite new ones," said Robert Coleman, M.D., professor of medical oncology at the University of Sheffield in England.

Coleman will present the results of AZURE during a press conference in room 217D of the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010, at 12:30 p.m. CT. Results of this study are being withheld until that time.

Reporters who cannot attend the press conference in person can participate using the following call-in information:

•U.S. and Canada: (888) 282-7404
•International: (706) 679-5207
•Access Code: 25348290

The AZURE trial included 3,360 patients from 174 centers. Coleman and colleagues randomized patients to standard therapy or standard therapy plus zoledronic acid for five years. All patients had stage II/III breast cancer.

Coleman will present the primary outcome of disease-free survival, as well as secondary outcomes and important subgroup analyses.

In addition to Coleman, the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium will have the following commentators on hand to answer questions during the press conference:

•C. Kent Osborne, M.D., director of the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at the Baylor College of Medicine and symposium program chairperson;
•Rowan Chlebowski, M.D., Ph.D., medical oncologist at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center; and,
•Sharon Giordano, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor in the department of breast medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
•Michael Gnant, M.D., professor of surgery at the Medical University of Vienna, and lead investigator of the ABCSG-12 study, which evaluated zoledronic acid in premenopausal women with hormone-sensitive, early-stage breast cancer.

Gnant will discuss the results of the following abstract, which will lift embargo during this press conference.

Embargoed for Release: 12:30 p.m. CT, Dec. 9, 2010
"The Carry-Over Effect of Adjuvant Zoledronic Acid: Comparison of 48- and 62-Month Analyses of ABCSG-12 Suggests That the Benefits of Combining Zoledronic Acid with Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy Persist Long after Completion of Therapy." (SABCS Abstract #P5-11-02; December 11; 5:30-7:30 p.m. CT).