A drug can halve the risk of women developing breast cancer in old age, British researchers revealed last night.
The drug anastrozole achieved its results with minimum side-effects, a five year study found.
It was tested on some 2,000 post-menopausal women known to be at high risk of developing cancer. Another 2,000 women took a placebo treatment.
Other drugs such as tamoxifen have been tested to prevent breast cancer – but experts said the latest results were a dramatic improvement in protecting women.
The findings were reported in The Lancet and also at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in the USA.
The drug works by preventing the production of the hormone oestrogen and is used to treat post-menopausal women with cancer caused by oestrogen. In the study, women taking the drug enjoyed a 53% reduced risk of developing breast cancer.
Researcher Professor Jack Cuzick, of Queen Mary, University of London, UK, said it was an "exciting development."
He said: "We now know anastrozole should be the drug of choice when it comes to reducing the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women with a family history or other risk factors for the disease. This class of drugs is more effective than previous drugs such as tamoxifen and crucially, it has fewer side effects."
He added: "Hopefully, our findings will lead to an alternative prevention therapy with fewer side effects for postmenopausal women at high risk for developing breast cancer."
Professor Cuzick said the women would be monitored for at least another ten years to study the long-term effects of the treatment.
Dr Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, which backed the research, said: "We’re delighted that the results will now offer women at high risk of breast cancer a new option to significantly reduce their chance of developing the disease."
Lancet 12 December 2013
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