Table 1. Study characteristics.
| Study | Participants | Interventions | Outcomes | Allocation concealment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EORTC 10851 (UK) n=164 (Fentiman et al, 2003) | Women (aged 70+) with operable breast cancer | Surgery (mastectomy; full axillary clearance) vs tamoxifen (20 mg day−1) | Survival - overall; PFS; local disease control; distant metastasis free survival | A |
| Nottingham 1 (UK) n=131 (Kenny et al, 1998) | Women (aged 70+) with operable breast cancer | Surgery (wedge mastectomy; limited axillary surgery) vs tamoxifen (40 mg day−1) | Survival - overall; PFS; local disease control; distant metastasis free survival | B |
| St Georges (UK) n=200 (Gazet et al, 1994) | Women (aged 70+) with operable breast cancer | Surgery (mastectomy or wide local excision without radiotherapy; axillary surgery not specified) vs tamoxifen (20 mg day−1) | Survival - overall; PFS; local disease control; distant metastasis free survival | B |
| CRC (UK) n=455 (Fennessey et al, 2004) | Women (aged 70+) with operable breast cancer | Surgery (mastectomy or wide local excision without radiotherapy; axillary surgery not specified) plus tamoxifen (40 mg day−1) vs tamoxifen alone | Survival - overall; PFS; local disease control; distant metastasis free survival; psychiatric and social morbidity | A |
| GRETA (Italy) n=274 (Mustacchi et al, 2003) | Women (aged 70+) with operable breast cancer | Surgery (mastectomy or wide local excision with radiotherapy; axillary clearance) plus tamoxifen (20 mg day−1) vs tamoxifen alone | Survival - overall; PFS; local disease control; distant metastasis free survival | A |
| Naples (Italy) n=75 (Capasso et al, 2000) | Women (aged 70+) with operable breast cancer | Surgery (mastectomy or wide local excision with radiotherapy;±axillary clearance) plus tamoxifen (20 mg day−1) vs tamoxifen alone | Survival - overall; PFS | B |
| Nottingham 2 (UK) n=147 (Willsher et al, 1997) | Women (aged 70+) with operable breast cancer | Surgery (wedge mastectomy; limited axillary surgery) plus tamoxifen vs tamoxifen (20 mg day−1) | Survival - overall; PFS | B |
PFS=progression-free survival.
Surgery vs primary endocrine therapy.