Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the U.S. In any given year, more than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, and more than 40,000 die from it.
Researchers have been developing new ways to treat and even prevent this deadly disease. One method involves taking breast cancer medicines – specifically tamoxifen and raloxifene. Now a new systematic review looks at the evidence on whether these drugs can help prevent breast cancer in women at high risk for the disease.
The review, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, identified seven studies where women considered to be at high risk for breast cancer took one of the medicines preemptively in an effort to avoid developing the disease.
On the whole, the two drugs reduced the incidence of invasive breast cancer by 7 to 9 cases in 1000 women over 5 years compared with those who took the placebo. Both medicines, which inhibit the production of estrogen, also experienced a reduced incidence of bone fractures.
But the medicines do have side effects. While tamoxifen was slightly more effective than raloxifene, women who used it were more likely to develop cancer in the lining of their uterus and cataracts compared with those who were given the placebo or raloxifene. And the studies noted that it is difficult to identify women at high risk of developing breast cancer to even begin the therapy.
The review authors concluded that more evidence is required. But current data demonstrate that women at high risk for breast cancer, and particularly those who had hysterectomies, benefit from taking these medicines preemptively.
The advances in breast cancer treating are amazings. My aunt has a breast cancer for fifteen years and finally she died after a hard fight ten years ago. In our days i think is possible she had winned the battle to the cancer. I suposse is the cancer with a better treating and i´m so exciting when i read that we have preemtevily medicine. Is a hard and long career but we are in the good way. Thank you