Breast cancer prevention trial.

The incidence of breast cancer continues to rise and now affects one in eight women, despite major early-detection efforts. The Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (BCPT), under the auspices of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABBP), will evaluate the effect of tamoxifen in reducing the incidence of invasive breast cancer, breast cancer mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and bone fractures. A total of 16,000 healthy women 35 years of age or older will be randomized to receive tamoxifen or a placebo over a five-year period. As of March 1993, 42% of the needed study participants had been enrolled in the trial. The University of Maryland is participating in the BCPT, and Maryland physicians can refer potential study participants to 12 locations throughout Maryland.