new treatment for Breast cancer

Breast cancer drugs get approval

Aug 11 2006

Breast cancer drugs hailed as a breakthrough in treatment

have been given final draft approval by the Government's

health watchdog.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

(Nice) issued a final draft appraisal on the use of three

types of aromatase inhibitors in postmenopausal women with

early breast cancer.

The drugs reduce the risk of tumours spreading following

surgery and could benefit thousands of women with hormone

receptor positive early breast cancer.

They are Arimidex (anastrozole), Femara (letrozole) and

Aromasin (exemestane) and will be available on the NHS

alongside the "gold standard" drug tamoxifen.

The inhibitors stop the natural production of oestrogen -

the hormone that is responsible for the growth and

recurrence of many breast cancers.

A 2004 study, co-ordinated by Cancer Research UK, found

that patients who switched from tamoxifen to Aromasin

halfway through treatment reduced the risk of the disease

returning by a third.

In June, the landmark Intergroup Exemestane Study also

found that switching to Aromasin cut the risk of death by

17% compared with remaining on tamoxifen. The results were

for those women who had already completed two to three

years of tamoxifen therapy.

A trial with Arimidex immediately after surgery showed an

extra 26% cut in cancer recurrence on top of the 50%

reduction provided by tamoxifen. Femara has also been shown

to be more effective than tamoxifen in a number of studies.

The Government has made clear that doctors should not wait

for Nice guidance to complete all its stages before

prescribing such drugs to women.

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