MILLIONS of women facing an elevated risk for breast cancer could slash their chances of getting the widely feared malignancy by taking a hormone-blocking pill used to treat the disease or prevent a recurrence, researchers say.
A compound known as an aromatase inhibitor cuts the breast cancer risk by 65 per cent for women prone to the disease for any reason, such as having risky genes, a relative who had the disease or being older than age 60, a long-awaited international study of more than 4500 women has concluded.
The results mark a highly anticipated advance towards the elusive goal of offering women the first safe way to protect themselves from a leading cancer killer. Women have long been able to take an older class of anti-estrogen drugs to reduce their risk, but few do because of possible side effects, including uterine cancer and life-threatening blood clots.
Many experts had hoped aromatase inhibitors would offer a safer, more acceptable alternative. The new study was the first time one had been tested.
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