Originally published as JCO Early Release 10.1200/JCO.2005.02.7102 on December 11 2006

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Zoledronic Acid Prevents Cancer Treatment–Induced Bone Loss in Premenopausal Women Receiving Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Hormone-Responsive Breast Cancer: A Report From the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group

Michael F.X. Gnant, Brigitte Mlineritsch, Gero Luschin-Ebengreuth, Stephan Grampp, Helmut Kaessmann, Marianne Schmid, Christian Menzel, Jutta Claudia Piswanger-Soelkner, Arik Galid, Martina Mittlboeck, Hubert Hausmaninger, Raimund Jakesz

From the Departments of Surgery, Radiology, and Osteology; Core Unit for Medical Statistics and Informatics; and Division of Special Gynecology, General Hospital, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna; Departments of Internal Medicine III, and Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology, Breast Center Salzburg, Paracelsus Private Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg; Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics; Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology; and Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Nuclear Medicine, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria

Address reprint requests to Michael Gnant, MD, Medical University of Vienna, Department of Surgery, Währinger GürA-1090, Vienna, Austria; e-mail: michael.gnant{at}meduniwien.ac.at

	ABSTRACT

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Purpose: Adjuvant therapy for breast cancer can be associated with decreased bone mineral density (BMD) that may lead to skeletal morbidity. This study examined whether zoledronic acid can prevent bone loss associated with adjuvant endocrine therapy in premenopausal patients.

Patients and Methods: This study is a randomized, open-label, phase III, four-arm trial comparing tamoxifen (20 mg/d orally) and goserelin (3.6 mg every 28 days subcutaneously) ± zoledronic acid (4 mg intravenously every 6 months) versus anastrozole (1 mg/d orally) and goserelin ± zoledronic acid for 3 years in premenopausal women with hormone-responsive breast cancer. In a BMD subprotocol at three trial centers, patients underwent serial BMD measurements at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months.

Results: Four hundred one patients were included in the BMD subprotocol. Endocrine treatment without zoledronic acid led to significant (P < .001) overall bone loss after 3 years of treatment (BMD, –14.4% after 36 months; mean T score reduction, –1.4). Overall bone loss was significantly more severe in patients receiving anastrozole/goserelin (BMD, –17.3%; mean T score reduction, –2.6) compared with patients receiving tamoxifen/goserelin (BMD, –11.6%; mean T score reduction, –1.1). In contrast, BMD remained stable in zoledronic acid–treated patients (P < .0001 compared with endocrine therapy alone). No interactions with age or other risk factors were noted.

Conclusion: Endocrine therapy caused significant bone loss that increased with treatment duration in premenopausal women with breast cancer. Zoledronic acid 4 mg every 6 months effectively inhibited bone loss. Regular BMD measurements and initiation of concomitant bisphosphonate therapy on evidence of bone loss should be considered for patients undergoing endocrine therapy.

	INTRODUCTION

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Adjuvant endocrine therapy in patients with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer is entering a new era in patients with low- and intermediate-risk disease. Tamoxifen has been the standard of care for more than 20 years based on evidence that it reduces the risk of recurrence and improves survival in patients treated for 5 years.¹ However, tamoxifen is also associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer and vascular adverse events (AEs). Third-generation aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are also being used in the adjuvant setting either as replacement therapy for tamoxifen or as follow-up to tamoxifen therapy in postmenopausal women.^2-6 These compounds can overcome tumor resistance to tamoxifen and have a different safety profile compared with tamoxifen. Although they are generally better tolerated and do not cause endometrial cancer, there is concern about their long-term effects on bone and lipids.^2-5,7

In contrast to postmenopausal women, ovarian ablation is required to provide complete endocrine suppression in premenopausal women.⁸ Although adjuvant chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil had been considered the standard of care in this patient population at the initiation of our trial, adjuvant endocrine therapy with the luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone analog goserelin, either alone or in combination with tamoxifen, had already been shown to be at least as effective as chemotherapy based on cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil in patients with estrogen-positive tumors with regard to overall and disease-free survival.^9-11 Notably, adjuvant endocrine therapy was associated with a more favorable safety profile and improved quality of life compared with chemotherapy.¹² Thus, recent consensus guidelines developed at the 2003 International Conference on the Adjuvant Therapy of Primary Breast Cancer in St Gallen, Switzerland (as well as its 2005 update) recommend the use of adjuvant endocrine therapy as an alternative to chemotherapy in premenopausal women with hormone-responsive breast cancer.¹³ Because successful endocrine suppression is thought to be critical for long-term survival in women with hormonal suppression, there is increasing clinical interest in combining goserelin therapy with an AI to ensure total endocrine suppression in this patient population.

The current study, Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group Trial 12, is the first to investigate the combination of goserelin with an AI in premenopausal women with breast cancer. However, treatment with either goserelin or AIs has been associated with significant loss of bone mineral density (BMD). Premenopausal women administered goserelin for 2 years demonstrated a –5% loss of total body BMD¹⁴; however, the effects of third-generation AIs, either alone or in combination with goserelin, on BMD in premenopausal women have not been previously investigated.

Although AIs represent a powerful new treatment option for patients with breast cancer, the loss of BMD and the associated risk of skeletal complications must be addressed. Bisphosphonates have been shown to prevent bone loss resulting from chemotherapy-induced ovarian failure in premenopausal women,^15,16 suggesting that the addition of a bisphosphonate to the combination of goserelin plus an AI may prevent bone loss. In particular, intravenous (IV) zoledronic acid has shown promise as a safe and effective therapy for the prevention of cancer treatment–induced bone loss (CTIBL). In preclinical studies, zoledronic acid inhibited bone loss induced by surgical ovariectomy or administration of letrozole in rats.¹⁷ In the clinical setting, zoledronic acid (4 mg IV every 6 months) has been shown to prevent CTIBL in postmenopausal women receiving adjuvant therapy with letrozole,¹⁸ and zoledronic acid every 3 months prevented CTIBL and increased BMD above baseline in men with prostate cancer receiving androgen-deprivation therapy.¹⁹

This large, phase III trial was designed to assess the benefit of adjuvant treatment with the combination of a goserelin plus either tamoxifen or anastrozole on disease-free and overall survival in premenopausal women with hormone-responsive breast cancer. The first survival results from this trial are expected in 2007. As part of the trial design, a prospectively defined BMD subprotocol was initiated at three centers to quantify the long-term effects of these endocrine treatments on BMD and to prospectively evaluate the effect of concomitant zoledronic acid on BMD in those patients. The results of the BMD subprotocol are presented here.

	PATIENTS AND METHODS

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Patients
Premenopausal women who had undergone primary surgery for stage I or II estrogen receptor–positive and/or progesterone receptor–positive breast cancer, had less than 10 positive lymph nodes, and were scheduled to receive standard therapy with goserelin for 3 years were eligible for enrollment. Patients were excluded if they had T1a (except yT1a), T4d, or yT4 breast cancer; had a history of other neoplasms or cytotoxic chemotherapy; had received preoperative radiation therapy; had been randomly assigned more than 8 weeks postoperatively; were pregnant and/or lactating; were currently receiving oral contraceptives; had serum creatinine levels 3 mg/dL; had serum calcium levels less than 8.0 mg/dL or more than 12.0 mg/dL; had received treatment with bisphosphonates or chronic anticonvulsive therapy within 1 year before study entry; had current or prior bone disease; or were receiving chronic corticosteroid therapy. None of the patients received prior adjuvant chemotherapy; however, preoperative chemotherapy was allowed.

Study Design and Treatment Schedule: BMD Subprotocol
Patients were randomly assigned 1:1:1:1 using a 2 x 2 factorial design to receive either goserelin (3.6 mg subcutaneously [SC] every 28 days) plus tamoxifen (20 mg/d orally) ± zoledronic acid (8 mg IV every 6 months) or goserelin (3.6 mg SC every 28 days) plus anastrozole (1 mg/d orally) ± zoledronic acid (8 mg IV every 6 months) for 3 years. Protocol amendments reduced the dose of zoledronic acid to 4 mg and increased the infusion time to 15 minutes after reports of decreased renal function with the 8-mg dose of zoledronic acid.

Patients underwent bone densitometry of lumbar spine (L1 to L4) and trochanter by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at baseline and at 6, 12, 36, and 60 months. Data from months 0, 6, 12, and 36 only are presented herein; assessment of the 60-month time point is ongoing. The projectional BMD values are given in grams per centimeter squared, and the individual results are expressed as a T score to place the BMD changes into clinical context. Per the WHO classifications for osteoporosis,²⁰ osteopenia was defined as BMD between –1 and –2.5 standard deviations below the young adult mean. Osteoporosis was defined as BMD –2.5 standard deviations below the young adult mean.

Safety was assessed according to the frequency of AEs and changes in laboratory values throughout the study. Changes in renal function were evaluated using serum creatinine values, which were assessed every 3 months.

Statistical Methods
Categoric data are described using frequencies and percentages. Continuous data are described using means ± standard deviations for normally distributed data. Non–normally distributed data are described by median, minimum, and maximum. Differences between treatment groups at baseline were assessed by analysis of variance. Baseline measurements were not handled as explanatory covariates. A linear mixed model with repeated measurements and a random factor was used to determine the effect of zoledronic acid on bone density. All bone density measurements were included in the dependent variable of the model. Thus, it was possible to include all patients in the model even if patients were missing bone density measurements close to random assignment. Furthermore, the mean course of bone density measurements from therapy start to 3 years could be estimated. A first-order autoregressive structure of the variance-covariance matrix was chosen to model dependencies between repeated measurements within patients. Differences among patients were assumed to follow a normal distribution with zero mean, which is equivalent to modeling the patient factor as random. Time from surgery to bone density measurements was included as a continuous covariate in the model, in which linear and quadratic time effects were tested. Bone density measurements were assumed to be equal among all four treatment groups at time of surgery because therapies were initiated after surgery. The assumptions of homogeneity and normally distributed errors were verified by residual plots. The effect of the four treatment groups, linear and quadratic time effects, and the interaction between the treatment groups and the time effects were modeled. The effects of zoledronic acid versus no zoledronic acid, of anastrozole versus tamoxifen, of the interaction between anastrozole/tamoxifen and zoledronic acid, and of subgroup tests were assessed by contrasts.

As an additional sensitivity analysis, differences in BMD measurements and T scores are described by means and evaluated by two-sample t tests. The t test statistical method is less powerful than the linear mixed model because it fails to account for potential dependencies in the data because of repeated measures. Nevertheless, it may be more intuitively obvious to physicians.

Calculations were performed using the statistical software SAS (Version 8, 2001; SAS Institute, Cary, NC). All statistical analyses were two sided, and significance was assigned at P .05.

	RESULTS

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Patients
A total of 401 patients were included in the BMD subprotocol. Treatment groups were well balanced with regard to patient demographics and baseline disease characteristics (Table 1). Among all patients randomly assigned, 343 patients were assessable for baseline data (range, –3 to 1.5 months after random assignment), 343 patients were assessable at 6 months (range, 1.5 to 9 months), 326 patients were assessable at 12 months (range, 9 to 21 months), and 114 patients were assessable at 36 months (range, 21 to 39 months). Mean baseline BMD values were not different among treatment groups. At baseline, 75% of patients had normal T scores in the lumbar spine, 23% had osteopenia, and only 1% had osteoporosis. In the trochanter, 79% of patients had a normal T score at baseline, 21% had osteopenia, and less than 1% had osteoporosis. Because of differences in absolute BMD values between patients, different measurement time points, and missing values (Table 1), results are shown as quadratic regression curves, as described in Patients and Methods. Alternative statistical models were applied (data not shown), and all showed similar significant differences between treatment groups.

View larger version (25K): [in this window] [in a new window] [PowerPoint Slide for Teaching]   Fig 1. Changes from baseline bone mineral density (BMD) over time in the (A) lumbar spine or (B) trochanter and from baseline T scores over time in the (C) lumbar spine or (D) trochanter of patients treated for 36 months with anastrozole or tamoxifen ± zoledronic acid. Note the change in y-axis scale between lumbar spine and trochanter.

Treatment-related bone loss was most dramatic in the lumbar spine (Fig 2). After 36 months of treatment with tamoxifen, 46% of patients had osteopenia but no patient had osteoporosis in the lumbar spine, compared with 16% of patients having osteopenia at baseline (Fig 2A). In contrast, among patients treated with anastrozole for 36 months, 54% of patients had osteopenia and 25% had osteoporosis in the lumbar spine, compared with 24% having osteopenia and 1% having osteoporosis at baseline (Fig 2C). Zoledronic acid significantly prevented the decrease in T scores over time. Among patients treated with tamoxifen plus zoledronic acid for 36 months, only 23% had osteopenia and 4% (n = 1) had osteoporosis of the lumbar spine at 36 months, compared with 23% of patients with osteopenia and 1% of patients (n = 1) with osteoporosis at baseline (Fig 2B). Among patients treated with anastrozole plus zoledronic acid, 44% had osteopenia at 36 months (an absolute increase of 15% from baseline), but no patient developed osteoporosis of the lumbar spine (Fig 2D). Similar results were observed in the trochanter (Fig 3), although treatment-related bone loss was less dramatic than in the lumbar spine.

View larger version (23K): [in this window] [in a new window] [PowerPoint Slide for Teaching]   Fig 2. Percentage of patients with normal bone mineral density, osteopenia, or osteoporosis in the lumbar spine of those treated with anastrozole or tamoxifen ± zoledronic acid for 36 months. (A) Tamoxifen alone, (B) tamoxifen plus zoledronic acid, (C) anastrozole alone, and (D) anastrozole plus zoledronic acid. The change from baseline T score with anastrozole treatment across 36 months is significantly greater than that observed with tamoxifen (P < .0001). The addition of zoledronic acid significantly improves T score versus hormone therapy alone (P < .0001).

View larger version (23K): [in this window] [in a new window] [PowerPoint Slide for Teaching]   Fig 3. Percentage of patients with normal bone mineral density, osteopenia, or osteoporosis in the trochanter of those treated with anastrozole or tamoxifen ± zoledronic acid for 36 months. (A) Tamoxifen alone, (B) tamoxifen plus zoledronic acid, (C) anastrozole alone, and (D) anastrozole plus zoledronic acid. The change from baseline T score with anastrozole treatment across 36 months is significantly greater than that observed with tamoxifen (P < .0001). The addition of zoledronic acid significantly improves T score versus hormone therapy alone (P < .0001).

No fractures or other skeletal-related events were recorded in this trial. Finally, administration of zoledronic acid was not associated with changes in renal function in this patient population. Across a total of 2,904 serum creatinine measurements over 3 years, mean serum creatinine level was 0.78 ± 0.17 mg/dL, and no patient had a serum creatinine value greater than 1.5x the upper limit of normal. No cases of jaw osteonecrosis were reported in this trial.

	DISCUSSION

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CTIBL is a clinically significant problem in patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant endocrine therapy. Premenopausal patients treated with tamoxifen 40 mg/d orally plus goserelin 3.6 mg SC every 28 days for 2 years experienced significant loss of BMD.¹⁴ Moreover, long-term treatment with anastrozole has been associated with decreased BMD and increased fracture risk in postmenopausal women.^2,21 In this study of premenopausal women, long-term treatment with goserelin plus either anastrozole or tamoxifen led to statistically significant loss of BMD, and the magnitude of BMD loss was considerably greater with anastrozole compared with tamoxifen. In addition, the proportion of patients with a clinically relevant loss of BMD was significantly higher among anastrozole-treated patients. Loss of BMD was also associated with clinically significant increases in the occurrence of osteopenia and osteoporosis, particularly in the lumbar spine. Furthermore, the severity of CTIBL increased with treatment duration, suggesting that CTIBL will emerge as a significant clinical issue for many women. The American Society of Clinical Oncology Technical Review Panel and the St Gallen Consensus Panel have emphasized the potential utility of anastrozole for treating postmenopausal patients at risk for severe tamoxifen toxicity, but the AEs associated with AIs, including bone loss, remain a concern with long-term treatment.²² The results of this study indicate that zoledronic acid (4 mg every 6 months) effectively and safely prevents loss of BMD in premenopausal patients treated with either tamoxifen or anastrozole in combination with a luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone agonist. Additionally, zoledronic acid decreased the proportion of patients with particularly severe bone loss in the lumbar spine (ie, those who met the criteria for overt osteoporosis) from 22% to 1% after 3 years of therapy.

This is the first report to demonstrate that the combination of a bisphosphonate with an AI can effectively and safely prevent CTIBL in premenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer. No patient in this study experienced a fracture, which is likely a reflection of the young age of patients. However, among patients treated with anastrozole, the incidence of osteoporosis in the lumbar spine increased to 25% at 3 years, thus putting these patients at substantial risk for vertebral fractures. Decreased BMD is acknowledged to be the single most important predictor of subsequent fractures in postmenopausal women with no previous fractures.²³ Furthermore, long-term follow-up studies have shown that patients with vertebral fractures continue to suffer from pain and reduced quality of life 2 to 3 years after the fracture, thus underscoring the long-term clinical consequences of fractures.^24,25

Recent meta-analyses have suggested that increased BMD as a result of treatment with the oral bisphosphonate risedronate or with raloxifene does not fully explain the decreased risk of fractures observed with antiresorptive therapy, leading some investigators to question whether assessment of BMD is the optimal end point for evaluating bone quality and strength.^26-28 Despite the current level of discussion regarding the correlation between changes in BMD and fracture risk, assessment of BMD remains an accepted and powerful predictive factor for the risk of skeletal complications and represents a validated, noninvasive method for evaluating treatment effect in clinical trials. Regular BMD measurements are recommended for patients undergoing combination endocrine treatment to assess bone health, and initiation of concomitant therapy with a bisphosphonate, such as zoledronic acid, should be strongly considered to prevent skeletal complications in patients who have either a –2.5 T score or who lose 10% BMD in the first year of treatment. Preliminary results from the Zometa/Femara Adjuvant Synergy Trials, which are evaluating zoledronic acid for the prevention of CTIBL in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer treated with letrozole (2.5 mg daily for 5 years), suggest that up-front, concomitant administration of zoledronic acid is significantly more effective in preserving BMD than delaying initiation of therapy until after evidence of bone loss has occurred.²⁹

Many important questions will need to be addressed in future clinical trials, including whether premenopausal patients undergoing adjuvant treatment with AIs may be at greater risk for fractures later in life, what effect treatment cessation may have on subsequent physiologic regulation of bone homeostasis, and whether zoledronic acid also will exert a protective effect against CTIBL induced by cytotoxic chemotherapy. The answers to these questions will provide important information for refining new treatment approaches and improving survival and quality of life in women with breast cancer.

	AUTHORS' DISCLOSURES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

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Although all authors completed the disclosure declaration, the following authors or their immediate family members indicated a financial interest. No conflict exists for drugs or devices used in a study if they are not being evaluated as part of the investigation. For a detailed description of the disclosure categories, or for more information about ASCO's conflict of interest policy, please refer to the Author Disclosure Declaration and the Disclosures of Potential Conflicts of Interest section in Information for Contributors.

Employment: N/A Leadership: N/A Consultant: Raimund Jakesz, Novartis Stock: N/A Honoraria: Michael F.X. Gnant, sanofi aventis, Novartis, AstraZeneca, Roche, Pfizer; Raimund Jakesz, Novartis Research Funds: Michael F.X. Gnant, Amgen Inc, AstraZeneca, Novartis; Raimund Jakesz, Novartis Testimony: N/A Other: Michael F.X. Gnant, Sanofi, Novartis, AstraZeneca, Roche

	AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

TOP ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION PATIENTS AND METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION AUTHORS' DISCLOSURES OF... AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS Appendix REFERENCES

 
Conception and design: Michael F.X. Gnant, Stephan Grampp, Marianne Schmid, Martina Mittlboeck, Raimund Jakesz

Provision of study materials or patients: Michael F.X. Gnant, Brigitte Mlineritsch, Gero Luschin-Ebengreuth, Marianne Schmid, Christian Menzel, Arik Galid, Raimund Jakesz

Collection and assembly of data: Michael F.X. Gnant, Gero Luschin-Ebengreuth, Helmut Kaessmann, Marianne Schmid, Jutta Claudia Piswanger-Soelkner, Raimund Jakesz

Data analysis and interpretation: Michael F.X. Gnant, Jutta Claudia Piswanger-Soelkner, Martina Mittlboeck

Manuscript writing: Michael F.X. Gnant, Marianne Schmid, Martina Mittlboeck

Final approval of manuscript: Michael F.X. Gnant, Stephan Grampp, Raimund Jakesz

Other: Jutta Claudia Piswanger-Soelkner [BMD measurements and BMD standardization], Hubert Hausmaninger [Trial conception, steering and oversight]

	Appendix

TOP ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION PATIENTS AND METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION AUTHORS' DISCLOSURES OF... AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS Appendix REFERENCES

 
Apart from the authors of this article, members of the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group participating in Trial 12 included the following: S. Taucher, F. Fitzal, T. Bachleitner-Hofmann, P. Dubsky, S. Schoppmann, M. Rudas, U. Pluschnig, D. Hussian, U. Sevelda, R. Bartsch, G. Steger, G. Locker, and C. Wenzel (Departments of Surgery, Internal Medicine, and Clinical Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna); Ch. Dadak and R. Obwegeser (Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Vienna University, Vienna); R. Greil, P. Mayer, C. Rass, R. Reitsamer, and G. Russ (Third Medical Department and Department of Special Gynecology, Salzburg Hospital, Salzburg); H. Samonigg, T. Bauernhofer, A.-K. Kasparek, P. Wagner, U. Langsenlehner, P. Krippl, M. Balic, E. Andritsch, R. Schaberl-Moser, W. Schippinger, B. Lileg, W. Weitzer, G. Hofmann, H. Stöger, F. Ploner, M. Smola, H.-J. Mischinger, P. Steindorfer, and S. Lax (Departments of Internal Medicine and Surgery, Graz University, and Second Department of Surgery, Graz West Hospital, Graz); E. Kubista, M. Seifert, E. Asseryanis, and R. Möslinger-Gehmayr (Division of Special Gynecology, Vienna University, Vienna); D. Depisch, A. Lenauer, and T. Payrits (Department of Surgery, Wiener Neustadt Hospital, Wiener Neustadt); R. Greul, G. Hochreiner, G. Wahl, and M. A. Fridrik (Department of Oncology, Linz Hospital, Linz); J. Tschmelitsch and A. Reichenauer (Department of Surgery, Sankt Veit Hospital, Sankt Veit); V. Wette (Department of Surgery, Friesach Hospital, Friesach); M. Stierer, U. Selim, and S. Artner (Department of Surgery, Hanusch Hospital, Vienna); U. Schmidbauer and M. Wunderlich (Department of Surgery, Barmherzige Schwestern Hospital,Vienna); F. Hofbauer and M. Lang (Department of Surgery, Oberpullendorf Hospital, Oberpullendorf); P. Kier and K. Renner (Second Medical Department and Department of Surgery, Donauspital Vienna Hospital, Vienna); M. Pichler, M. Weigert, F. Sevelda, P. Sevelda, U. Denison, and Ch. Peters-Engl (Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Lainz Hospital, Vienna); R. Kocher and F. Stangl (Department of Surgery, Leoben Hospital, Leoben); R. Winter (Department of Gynecology, Graz University, Graz); P. Sandbichler, W. Schennach, and M. Mühlthaler (Department of Surgery, Zams Hospital, Zams); S. Pöstlberger, R. Helfgott, C. Schmidhammer, D. Heck, F. Kugler, M. Aufschnaiter, G. Michlmayr, and R. Schildberger (Departments of Surgery and Internal Medicine, BHS Hospital, Linz); E. Hanzal and C. Sam (Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Vienna University, Vienna); A. Haid and R. Köberle-Wührer (Department of Surgery, Feldkirch Hospital, Feldkirch); W. Döller and E. Melbinger (Department of Surgery, Wolfsberg Hospital, Wolfsberg); J. Berger and R. Lenzhofer (Medical Department, Schwarzach Hospital, Schwarzach); H. Ludwig and P. Sagaster (First Medical Department, Wilhelminenspital, Vienna); G. Reiner and D. Semmler (Department of Surgery, Mistelbach Hospital, Mistelbach); H. Trapl and R. Tichatschek (Department of Surgery, Thermenklinikum, Baden); C. Bosse (Medical Department, Klosterneuburg Hospital, Klosterneuburg); P. Lechner and B. Zeh (Department of Surgery, Donauklinikum, Tulln); J. Omann, A. Urbania, and K. Holzmüller (Department of Surgery, Klagenfurt Hospital, Klagenfurt); W. Neunteufel (Department of Gynecology, Dornbirn Hospital, Dornbirn); C. Marth, M. Widschwendtner, A. Bergant, A. Zeimet, M. Hubalek, H. Müller, B. Volgger, and A. Ramoni (Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck); and E. Hartner and H.L. Seewann (Department of Internal Medicine, Fürstenfeld Hospital, Fürstenfeld).

	ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 
We gratefully acknowledge the contribution of all physicians (see Appendix) and associates of the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group. We are indebted to all trial patients for their invaluable contribution. We thank AstraZeneca and Novartis Pharmaceuticals for providing study medication and other support. This work was done under the auspices of Exzellenzzentrum für Klinische und Experimentelle Onkologie.

	NOTES

 
published online ahead of print at www.jco.org on December 11, 2006.

Supported in part by AstraZeneca and Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

Authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest and author contributions are found at the end of this article.

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Submitted May 13, 2005; accepted February 22, 2006.

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