Taking breast cancer drugs has successfully helped protect hundreds of women from the disease, according to the findings of a major study reported today.
Treatment cut the rate of breast cancer among women at high risk by some 38%, researchers found.
The study, reported in The Lancet, is said to be the largest study of its kind of the use of drugs to prevent breast cancer.
Researchers studied the records of some 83,000 women, who took part in studies of taking drugs known as selective oestrogen receptor modulators or SERMS.
The study showed the greatest protection occurred while women were taking the drugs – which they took for five years.
This was linked to a 42% reduction in the rate of breast cancer. In five years after women stopped taking treatment, women enjoyed a 25% cut in the risk of breast cancer.
The study also showed that women who took the drugs faced an increased risk of suffering from deep vein thrombosis.
During the ten years some 852 women who did not take the drugs contracted cancer compared with 587 of those who took preventive treatment.
The researchers say this means that treating 42 women would prevent one case of breast cancer in a ten year period.
Researcher Professor Jack Cuzick, of Queen Mary College, London University, UK, said: "These are very encouraging results and pave the way for more widespread use of these drugs in high risk women in a manner similar to the way statins and blood pressure lowering drugs are used to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke."
He added: "Our longer-term findings clearly show that the benefit-harm balance is now more favourable than previously calculated for short-term follow up. The benefits of these drugs continue well after treatment has stopped, whilst most of the side effects do not."
Lancet 30 April 2013 [abstract]
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