The future of breast cancer prevention

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Drugs could lead to breast cancer in women at high risk of the disease in the same way to prevent use Statins for heart disease, when studies after due to predict risk are successful, according to an international panel of cancer experts.

In a report in the journal Lancet Oncology published today (Monday) * the Panel - including cancer research UK Professor Jack Cuzick - agreed, provided that all women with a greater than four percent on the average risk of getting breast cancer should be in the next ten years are preventive measures and closer monitoring.

The density of the breast tissue such as on a mammogram is one of the strongest indicators of breast cancer risk. Women with dense breast tissue are likely to be about four times more risk of cancer than those with the least dense breasts.

This could be used to identify women at high risk of getting breast cancer, much in the same way, the cholesterol is used to identify people that their heart disease could benefit from Statins to reduce risk.

A decline that could breast density as a note to respond to the treatment, how the use of the blood fat values to predict whether a patient has reduced heart disease risk in response to Statins are used.

Of the body of Professor Jack Cuzick, an epidemiologist Cancer Research UK at Queen Mary, University of London, said: "there is strong evidence to show that drugs such as tamoxifen effective for the prevention of breast cancer in women with greater than average risk of the disease." But it is important way to predict who will respond, so drugs like this can be used on the most likely to benefit and side effects occur at least likely to find.

"Breast increased density is one of the leading risk factors for breast cancer and early study results suggest, that the risk will be shown in the tamoxifen to reduce cancer density decreases." "If this is confirmed in long-term studies, could breast density are a powerful way to identify women who could benefit from preventive treatments with high risk."

A number of drugs as for breast cancer prevention, including tamoxifen and raloxifene - in the United States are and newer drugs such as Lasofozifene, Arzoxifene and aromatase inhibitors such as anastrozole and Exemestane - have shown also approved the promise, but need further investigation.

Large international studies have shown that tamoxifen the estrogen receptor positive breast cancer (the most common kind) by about a third lower women at increased risk of the disease. But the treatment side effects such as hot flashes, blood clots, and in some cases can cause uterine cancer.

Professor Cuzick added: "although drugs such as tamoxifen and raloxifene in the United States are licensed, we know that neither, mainly due to widespread, relating to the possible side effects as well as the inability to breast-cancer risk exactly predict." "We hope that in the future to assess the women breast cancer-risk as part of routine breast screening and personalized offer can be advice on risk reduction and drugs for the prevention of breast cancer."

Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK Director of cancer information, said: "our scientists were behind some of the first studies show the long-term benefits of tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer in women with a greater than average risk of the disease." This research paved thousands of vulnerable women after menopause the way for the IBIS II trial which is recruitment, whether a new generation of breast cancer drugs called aromatase inhibitors, are still could have more effective and less side effects.

"A crucial step in ensuring the most appropriate treatment is get women responds able to precisely predict breast cancer risk, and that to preventive drugs like this."

Reference

* Cuzick, j., DeCensi, A., Arun, B., Brown, s., Castiglione, M., Dunn, B., Forbes, j., Glaus, A., Howell, A., von Minckwitz, G., bird, V., & Zwierzina, H. (2011). Preventive treatment of breast cancer: a statement consensus the Lancet Oncology DOI: IAWA/S1470-2045 (11) 70030-4

Notes

1985 Our researchers found that women treated with tamoxifen for breast cancer less likely to develop, were the disease in the other breast. This suggested that it may be possible to prevent that breast cancer in women with a greater than average risk of the disease, and laid the Foundation for breakthrough prevention studies.

Our scientists has the world's first pilot study of breast cancer prevention at the Royal Marsden Hospital in 1986. This later developed into a large-scale prevention trial referred to the international breast cancer intervention study (IBIS I). The results showed that the tamoxifen breast cancer rates reduced women at increased risk of the disease by about a third. Long-term showed that the prevention benefits of tamoxifen will continue for at least another five years after treatment has ended.

We now support the IBIS II trial to see whether a different drug anastrozole, could have even more effective with fewer side effects than tamoxifen breast cancer to prevent. The risk of breast cancer from over 40 centers will recruit increases worldwide thousands of post-menopausal women this latest study.

Source:
Cancer Research UK