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Scientists are continuing to develop a drug that, when taken as a preventive measure, reduces the risk of breast cancer by half. The drug is given to postmenopausal women because it blocks the production of estrogen. The drug appears to work even after use is discontinued.
A drug that protects against breast cancer
Anastrozole is a drug tested to reduce the risk of breast cancer. The active substance in the drug blocks the production of estrogen, one of the hormones that may contribute to the development of cancer in dogs. Anastrazole can be taken by postmenopausal women as estrogen suppression is inadvisable in younger women.
Studies of the drug have shown it to be taken regularly halves the risk of developing breast cancer over five years of use it by women. Subsequent trials on more women found that even seven years after stopping treatment, the risk of cancer was 49%. lower than in women who were in the control group and did not take the drug.
As prof. Jack Cuzick, director of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine at Queen Maria University in London, breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, and now a drug has emerged that can greatly reduce the risk of developing it.
A drug that reduces the risk of breast cancer in the UK
In the UK, postmenopausal women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer due to, inter alia, on a family history, it is recommended to take anastrozole from 2017. The drug acts on the cells where the cancer has started and destroys them. Preventive use of anastrozole does not always produce the desired effect. In women who are at a very high risk of developing the disease, mastectomy is still the best prevention.
The effectiveness of anastrazole requires further research, but the studies that have been carried out so far are described by experts as promising.
See also:
- After giving birth, the risk of breast cancer increases. The first five years are the worst
- Every third Polish woman suffering from breast cancer will have metastases
- It is he who most often attacks women. What to Avoid to Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer in numbers
Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women. The data from the National Cancer Registry show that the incidence of this cancer among Polish women is constantly growing. In 2010, there were 15,8 thousand. new cases of breast cancer, and in 2013 already over 17 thousand. Currently, it is detected in over 18. women, and almost 6 thousand. of them dies.
We learn from the report of the National Institute of Health-PZH that in 2010-2016 the death rate from breast cancer in our country increased by 7,2%. Despite many campaigns encouraging Polish women to free examinations and making them aware of the importance of prophylaxis, still too few women undergo preventive examinations.
Women between the ages of 50 and 69 can get free mammography. The examination allows to detect neoplastic changes at an early stage of development. The earlier the cancer is detected and the treatment implemented, the greater the chances of a cure.
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Source: bbc.com/news/health-50757993