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25/06/2013
Cancer Drug Offer For 'At Risk' Women
Women who are at most risk of developing breast cancer are to be offered a preventative drug on the NHS, the NICE has said.
Studies have found that taking tamoxifen or raloxifene can reduce the chances of developing cancer by half.
Now, new guidelines recommend the treatment can be given to healthy women who are "at risk" of developing cancer. This includes women with a family history of cancer. For example, if a woman has two or more family members who have been diagnosed with cancer, she will be offered the treatment for five years.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with about 50,000 women and 400 men diagnosed with the condition each year. Based on research findings, experts estimate that for every 1,000 women given tamoxifen, there would be 20 fewer breast cancers.
Additionally, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has said the NHS should offer MRI screening every year to all women aged 30-49 years who have, or who have had, breast cancer and who remain at high risk of the disease.
This includes those with a BRCA1 or BRCA1 mutation.
Professor Mark Baker, Director of the Centre for Clinical Practice at NICE, said: "Our updated guideline now gives women more options in how they manage their risk of breast cancer; those with a 'moderate' or 'high' risk of developing breast cancer because of their family history but who have not had the disease themselves can now be offered tamoxifen or raloxifene for five years to prevent it.
"Although neither drug is licensed as a preventative treatment in the UK, clinical evidence shows they are an effective option for many women and could be preferable to surgery."
(JP/CD)
Studies have found that taking tamoxifen or raloxifene can reduce the chances of developing cancer by half.
Now, new guidelines recommend the treatment can be given to healthy women who are "at risk" of developing cancer. This includes women with a family history of cancer. For example, if a woman has two or more family members who have been diagnosed with cancer, she will be offered the treatment for five years.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with about 50,000 women and 400 men diagnosed with the condition each year. Based on research findings, experts estimate that for every 1,000 women given tamoxifen, there would be 20 fewer breast cancers.
Additionally, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has said the NHS should offer MRI screening every year to all women aged 30-49 years who have, or who have had, breast cancer and who remain at high risk of the disease.
This includes those with a BRCA1 or BRCA1 mutation.
Professor Mark Baker, Director of the Centre for Clinical Practice at NICE, said: "Our updated guideline now gives women more options in how they manage their risk of breast cancer; those with a 'moderate' or 'high' risk of developing breast cancer because of their family history but who have not had the disease themselves can now be offered tamoxifen or raloxifene for five years to prevent it.
"Although neither drug is licensed as a preventative treatment in the UK, clinical evidence shows they are an effective option for many women and could be preferable to surgery."
(JP/CD)
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'Next big step' in breast cancer treatment launched
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A blood test is currently in development that could help predict the likelihood of a woman developing breast cancer, according to research by the University College London (UCL).
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Breast cancer survival rates rise
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01 May 2012
Breast Cancer Can Be Detected Years Before, According To Study
Dr James Flanagan, a Breast Cancer Campaign scientific fellow in the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, has uncovered the first strong evidence that molecular or 'epigenetic' changes in a gene can be associated with breast cancer risk and can be detected many years before breast cancer develops.
Breast Cancer Can Be Detected Years Before, According To Study
Dr James Flanagan, a Breast Cancer Campaign scientific fellow in the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, has uncovered the first strong evidence that molecular or 'epigenetic' changes in a gene can be associated with breast cancer risk and can be detected many years before breast cancer develops.
29 October 2003
Saturated fats could 'slightly increase' breast cancer risk
Eating large amounts of saturated fat could "slightly increase" the risk of breast cancer, according to a review published in the British Journal of Cancer.
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