Source: Sky News 9:51am UK, Monday March 28, 2011
Rhiannon Mills, Sky News reporter

The rising rate of breast cancer in Britain could be curbed if drugs were given to high-risk patients to try to prevent the illness, according to an international panel of experts.

Scans are currently the top option for detecting and monitoring breast cancer, but leading cancer doctors now believe those at high risk should be offered medication.
Trials of drugs already prescribed to treat breast cancer have shown to reduce the chances of patients developing the disease by around a third, the doctors say.

In the journal Lancet Oncology, chairman of the panel Professor Jack Cuzick, a Cancer Research UK epidemiologist based at Queen Mary, University of London, writes: "There's strong evidence to show that drugs such as tamoxifen are effective at preventing breast cancer in women with greater than average risk of the disease.

"But it's important to find ways of predicting who will respond, so drugs like this can be targeted at those most likely to benefit and least likely to experience side-effects.

I don't think they should push it on people who don't really know even if they're high risk because they may want to plan a different lifestyle. If it prevents people from having children or gives them a poor quality of life.

Toral Shah, who has received treatment for breast cancer
"Increased breast density is one of the leading risk factors for breast cancer and early trial results suggest that where tamoxifen is shown to decrease density the risk of cancer decreases.

"If this is confirmed in long-term studies, breast density could become a powerful way to identify high-risk women who could benefit from preventive treatments."

A range of drugs have been considered for breast cancer prevention, including tamoxifen and raloxifene - which are licensed in the US.

Newer drugs - such as lasofozifene, arzoxifene and aromatase inhibitors - have also shown promise but need further investigation.

But treatments can cause side-effects - such as hot flushes, blood clots and in some cases womb cancer.

PROF JACK CUZICK: IT WILL BE A POWERFUL STRATEGY

Prof Cuzick adds: "Although drugs such as tamoxifen and raloxifene are licensed in the US, we know that neither is widely used, mainly due to concern around the potential side effects, and an inability to predict breast cancer risk accurately.

"We hope that in the future it may be possible to assess women's breast cancer risk as part of routine breast screening and offer personalised advice about risk reduction and medicines for preventing breast cancer."

Toral Shah, who was given tamoxifen when she was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 29, has mixed feelings about the proposed new use for the drug.

"I don't think they should push it on people who don't really know even if they're high risk because they may want to plan a different lifestyle," she told Sky News.

"If it prevents people from having children or gives them a poor quality of life, I don't think it's fair to push it on them."

Breast cancer is on the rise, with almost 50,000 cases diagnosed every year.

The medication will not suit everyone but with the clinical trials under way it is hoped it could prove to be a lifesaver for some.

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