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Cancer Care Center Clinical Research

Preventative Trials

We participate in these prevention studies supported by the National Cancer Institute:

• STAR Breast Cancer Prevention Study
• SELECT Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial

What is STAR?
The STAR trial is a breast cancer prevention study conducted by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project, supported by the National Cancer Institute. Enrollment in this prevention trial is now closed, with preliminary results being released as they are available. Nationwide, about 22,000 women are taking part in this trial, and each woman was assigned by chance to receive either tamoxifen or raloxifene.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in North American women, second only to lung cancer for number of cancer deaths. The STAR trial aims to compare two drugs, tamoxifen and raloxifene, for their effectiveness in reducing the occurrence of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, age 35 or older, who are at increased risk for the disease.

Saint Alphonsus Cancer Care Center is one of only two approved STAR centers in the state of Idaho. The trial takes into account the following risk factors for developing breast cancer:

• Family history of breast cancer, especially in your mother, sister(s) or daughter(s)
• Age
• Never having borne a child
• Having your first child after age 30
• First menstrual period at an early age
• History of benign breast disease that required biopsy
• Other breast conditions such as lobular carcinoma in sit (LCIS) or atypical hyperplasia

What is SELECT?
In July 2001, Southwest Oncology Group launched SELECT, the nation's largest-ever prostate cancer prevention trial. SELECT is the first study designed to analyze the effects of selenium and vitamin E, both separately and together, in preventing prostate cancer. Healthy men, age 55 and older, were selected for the study from more than 400 sites in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. The target study group of 32,400 men was reached. Saint Alphonsus was selected as a study site. Enrollment in this prevention trial is now closed.

Selenium and vitamin E, both naturally occurring nutrients, are antioxidants. They are capable of neutralizing toxins known as “free radicals” that might otherwise damage the genetic material of cells and possibly lead to cancer. These nutrients were chosen for study because of the results of two other large cancer prevention trials.

The study includes men in generally good health, age 55 or older (age 50 or older for black men), who have never had prostate cancer and have not had any other cancer in the last five years. Nonmelanoma skin cancer is an exception and did not exclude participation. Upon enrollment, men were assigned by chance to one of four groups, as shown below.

Men in the SELECT study did not need to change their diet in any way, but they stopped taking any supplements they buy themselves that contain selenium or vitamin E. If participants take a multivitamin, a specially formulated vitamin that does not contain selenium or vitamin E is provided free of charge.

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