Osteoporosis Drugs and Breast Cancer
Posted on July 11, 2008
Raloxifene and breast cancer. There has been a great deal of press interest recently in whether the osteoporosis drug Raloxifene can have an impact on the outcome for breast cancer patients. But what’s the evidence? Does this drug reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer?
The recent press reports all related to an extracted subgroup of patients from another research project. That trial was designed to look at heart disease - not breast cancer - but the data was re analysed and extrapolated to look at breast cancer in some of the women who took this medication. The study seems to show that the drug reduces the risk of invasive oestrogen-receptor positive breast cancer in these women, regardless of any underlying risk factors
This was a large study and it backs up other reports which also seem to show a benefit from Raloxifene in terms of breast cancer in women after the menopause. The latter point here may be important - after the menopause.
But is there a place for the medication in the prevention of new breast cancer cases? That answer still remains elusive so we don’t know if it should be given to healthy women as a way of reducing breast cancer risk.
Cancer experts are encouraged by the results but warn that this trial was conducted in a particular group of postmenopausal women with heart disease and that therefore the results may not necessarily be applicable to other women - and further research will be needed to confirm the findings. Some commentators have also raised worries that this study was primarily designed to investigate the effects of raloxifene in reducing the risk of heart disease - which it didn’t do. They fear that the number of women in the trial might not have been big enough to properly assess breast cancer risks.
Also - before getting too excited about this new data we should remember that any benefit of taking this medication to reduce risk of breast cancer must be balanced against the risk of treatment - in particular the drug is known to increase the risk of thrombosis and an increased risk of fatal stroke was reported in the study.
Lastly - any benefit of taking it in women who already have oestrogen-receptor positive invasive breast cancer was not investigated by this study. We really need to hold fire for a while yet before we can draw any real conclusions.
Gordon Cameron is a physician in Edinburgh Scotland. He has a special interest in breast cancer symptoms since his wife Marjory underwent breast cancer treatment recently.
Article Author :Gordon_Cameron
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