NEW DRUG A BOON TO LOCAL CANCER PATIENT.

Byline: Amy Raisin Staff Writer

SAUGUS - When Marlene Calderone started taking the drug anastrozole to fight breast cancer, she had no idea her progress would spark such interest from pharmaceutical experts a year later.

The 63-year-old is not technically a participant in clinical trial B-35 - launched in May to evaluate the drug's effectiveness in treating early stage breast cancer, compared with tamoxifen, the industry standard - but her quality of life after 14 months on anastrozole is cause for optimism.

``Due to other medical issues, I wasn't a good candidate for tamoxifen,'' Calderone said from her Saugus apartment. ``I'm not as healthy as I was before the breast cancer and I've had some leg pain with Arimidex (the brand name for anastrozole).

``But I think I have a pretty good quality of life. I can't play 18 holes of golf, but I can probably do nine,'' said the retired medical lab technician who underwent a double mastectomy in June 2002.

Manufactured by Delaware-based AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, both Arimidex and Nolvadex - the brand-name version of tamoxifen - have been used to help reduce recurrence in women diagnosed with primary ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) breast cancer - characterized by the presence of cancer cells in the breast ducts, but not in nearby breast tissue or lymph nodes.

Both drugs are prescribed to postmenopausal women diagnosed with cancer that feeds on the hormones estrogen and progesterone. The drugs work by preventing enzymes in the body from producing such hormones.

Anastrozole has historically been used as a first-line treatment in advanced breast cancer, while tamoxifen has long been prescribed to patients like Calderone, who was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.

A previous study that examined the effects of anastrozole and tamoxifen - both alone and in combination - involving more than 9,300 postmenopausal women across the globe revealed a smaller rate of recurrence among those taking anastrozole, prompting the new clinical trial.

``Studies have proven the effectiveness of anastrozole in the treatment of early breast cancer,'' said Dr. Thomas Julian, protocol officer for B-35. ``It is our hope that this study will prove that the drug can also reduce the recurrence of DCIS or the development of invasive breast cancer, with minimal impact on a patient's quality of life.''

Calderone, who has become a whiz at navigating the Internet for information about cancer and treatments, said she is confident her life would not be as comfortable had her medical history cleared the way for her to take tamoxifen.

While side effects associated with both drugs include hot flashes, nausea, weakness and joint pain, patients taking anastrozole experienced these less than those taking tamoxifen, according to information published by AstraZeneca. Uterine bleeding has been linked to tamoxifen, as well.

``I know others who take tamoxifen. People just don't feel good on it,'' said Calderone, whose hair has grown back since her debilitating bouts of chemotherapy last year. ``I have a friend who takes it and she says she's always got pain in her legs. People are just tired on (tamoxifen).''

Clinical trial B-35 is being conducted by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project, a nonprofit clinical trials cooperative network that spans the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

For information about clinical trial B-35, log on to www.nsabp.pitt.edu

Amy Raisin, [phone]

amy.raisin(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Marlene Calderone of Saugus is a cancer survivor who is using a new form of medication, Arimidex, which is allowing her to have a better quality of life than other cancer medications.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer