WHO: Charles Geyer, M.D., associate director for clinical research and medical oncologist at VCU Massey Cancer Center, can discuss the new standard of care for young women with hormone-receptive breast cancer following practice-changing, international research called SOFT/TEXT that he co-led. Geyer oversaw the National Surgical Breast and Bowel Project’s (NSABP) involvement in SOFT when he served as its director of medical affairs from 2004 to 2011.

WHAT: Research recently presented at the 2014 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine involved a combination of two large, international phase 3 clinical trials known as TEXT (Tamoxifen and Exemestane Trial) and SOFT (Suppression of Ovarian Function Trial). The trials found that a drug known as exemestane is more effective than tamoxifen at preventing breast cancer recurrence in young women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer, a common type of breast cancer. This landmark study is the first to demonstrate that taking exemestane while blocking ovarian function reduces cancer recurrence in young women with hormone-receptive breast cancer.

WHY:These results provide a new treatment option for premenopausal women formerly available only to postmenopausal women. A culmination of decade-long, worldwide collaboration spanning 27 countries and six continents, the study is the largest of its kind and showed that treatment with exemestane plus ovarian function suppression (OFS) reduced the risk of any invasive cancer by 28 percent and reduced the risk of invasive breast cancer recurrence by 34 percent, compared to treatment with tamoxifen plus OFS. At five years from study entry, 92.8 percent of women remained free from breast cancer after treatment with exemestane plus OFS while 88.8 percent were breast cancer-free after receiving tamoxifen plus OFS.

HOW: To arrange interviews with Charles Geyer, please contact John Wallace at [email protected]or 804-628-1550. VCU Massey Cancer Center has a state-of-the-art in-house studio that is VideoLink-enabled and can broadcast video directly to newsrooms around the world. We can also videotape the responses to your questions and provide the video for quick download.

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