Breast cancer treatment with combination hormones

Researchers have discovered that a new drug could effectively treat breast cancer when used in combination with current treatment methods. The news would come as big relief to thousands of women undergoing treatment.

It would also seem to work in providing better treatment to over 25,000 women who are likely to develop breast tumor and seek treatment in a year. Presently, patients are treated with tamoxifen for a period of two to four years. Tamoxifen has worked admirably in reducing fatality after surgery by over 33%.

The new drug, exemestane, should be started after two or three years of tamoxifen and continued for a further period of three years. In a study of 4700 women, researchers found that those who had tamoxifen for two years followed by exemestane for another three years had the best chances of survival. Also, under this combination treatment, the risk of relapse was lower by 25%.

Breast cancer is the most common tumor in women. It is a malignant form of tumor spreading quickly to the bones, hips, lungs and in some, the brain. One in ten women is likely to develop breast cancer and almost 75% would do so after menopause. Besides hereditary or genetic factors, some other causes of this form of tumor are early puberty, late menopause, not having a child or having a first child after age 30. Risk is considerably lowered if one has short menstrual life, large family or first child before the age of 18.

The latest strategy to fight breast cancer has focused on a group of hormone compounds called aromatase inhibitors. These work by reducing the effectiveness of estrogen, an important female hormone. Estrogen furthers tumor growth in breast cancer.

Doctors are confident that using tamoxifen and exemestane in combination would work best in treating breast cancer. For example, some cells develop resistance to tamoxifen after a few years and such cells are destroyed by exemestane. They claim that the present study confirms the hypothesis that using a complex of hormone compounds in therapy works better than using tamoxifen alone.

The NHS in the UK licensed the use of exemestane since November last.

As with every medical treatment schedule, these results may vary for individual patients. They should consult their specialists before deciding on the switching to the new drug. In some, the treatment might not be effective at all and hence professional opinion is essential before adopting the new treatment method.