Breast cancer prevention for British women
Around 290,000 women in the UK will be able to take a preventative drug against breast cancer in the future. The target group for anastrozole are post-menopausal women who are considered to have a medium or high risk of breast cancer, according to the British National Health Service (NHS).
In Germany, no drug has yet been approved for the prevention of breast cancer, according to the German Cancer Research Center DKFZ in response to a dpa inquiry. However, anastrozole and other drugs could be used for this purpose in exceptional cases. The German Gynecological Oncology Association (AGO) recommends preventive drug therapy for women with an increased risk of breast cancer in certain cases and after careful consideration of the advantages and disadvantages. The relevant drugs include tamoxifen, raloxifene and aromatase inhibitors such as the aforementioned anastrozole (as of March 2023).
According to the DKFZ, treatment is then carried out as a "beyond-authorization" application, which is subject to special information and due diligence obligations on the part of the doctor. There is no entitlement to cost coverage by the statutory health insurance funds. There is currently a controversial debate among experts as to which women have an "increased" risk of breast cancer and may benefit from such preventative treatment. There is no uniform definition for this.
Tamoxifen can be used to reduce the risk before and after the menopause, while raloxifene and aromatase inhibitors can only be used after the menopause. According to the DKFZ, all three primarily reduced the number of new cases of certain hormone-sensitive carcinomas (oestrogen receptor-positive) in prevention studies.
According to the British NHS, tests have shown that anastrozole reduces the number of breast cancer cases by around half over eleven years. It is estimated that 2,000 cases could be avoided if a quarter of eligible women took up the offer and half of them took the drug for the suggested five-year period.
Tablet not without possible side effects
Scientists have found that anastrozole not only helps to treat breast cancer, but also to prevent the disease. The protective effect lasts for years even after the drug has been discontinued. "It's fantastic that this vital risk reduction option could now help thousands of women and their families avoid the stress of a breast cancer diagnosis," said NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard. Around 47,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer every year.
The drug is to be taken as a daily tablet for five years. According to the NHS, anastrozole works by reducing the amount of the hormone oestrogen that a patient's body produces by blocking an enzyme called aromatase. Side effects can include hot flushes, joint pain, arthritis, skin rash, nausea, headaches, osteoporosis and depression.
The DKFZ emphasizes that the effects of drug prevention should be compared with those of a healthy lifestyle: In particular, regular exercise, avoiding obesity, abstaining from alcohol and smoking and avoiding oestrogen/progesterone-containing hormone replacement therapy during the menopause can significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer without side effects.
Source: www.dpa.com
