The ATAC trial established which of the following in the adjuvant endocrine treatment of post-menopausal hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer?

• A Tamoxifen alone is superior to anastrozole after 5 years
• B Anastrozole is superior to tamoxifen and the combination is not better than anastrozole alone ✓
• C The combination of tamoxifen and anastrozole is superior to either alone
• D Exemestane is superior to anastrozole in reducing contralateral breast cancer risk

Explanation

The ATAC (Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination) trial demonstrated that anastrozole monotherapy was superior to tamoxifen in disease-free survival, time to recurrence, and contralateral breast cancer incidence in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer. Critically, the combination arm was not superior to anastrozole alone and was inferior in some endpoints, establishing that combining these agents negates the benefit. This finding shifted practice away from tamoxifen as first-line adjuvant endocrine therapy in postmenopausal women.

Reference: Bailey & Love's Short Practice of Surgery, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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