Common menopause medication might prevent breast cancer while treating hot flashes

A drug intended to treat menopause reactions could double as breast cancer prevention New research from Northwestern University in Illinois uncovered that Duavee a Pfizer-made drug significantly reduced breast tissue cell enhancement which is a major indicator of cancer progression A phase clinical trial included post-menopausal women who had been diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ DCIS also known as stage breast cancer according to a press release from Northwestern PROSTATE CANCER DRUG NOW AVAILABLE TO MORE PATIENTS WITH AGGRESSIVE FORM OF DISEASEThis non-invasive breast cancer affects more than American women each year often leading to an outcome of invasive breast cancer The women were separated into two groups one received Duavee and the other took a placebo for a month before undergoing breast surgery Duavee is a conjugated estrogen bazedoxifene CE BZA drug which combines estrogen with another medication that minimizes the possible harmful side effects of the hormone The key takeaway from the assessment is that CE BZA slows the advance proliferation of cells in milk ducts of DCIS that expressed the estrogen receptor significantly more than placebo Dr Swati Kulkarni lead investigator and professor of breast surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine explained Fox News Digital EXPERIMENTAL WOMEN'S CANCER DRUG BOOSTS SURVIVAL RATES IN NOTABLE STUDYAnother major finding is that the quality of life did not differ significantly between the two groups but patients who took the CE BZA revealed fewer hot flashes during the scrutiny she noted This would be expected as the drug is FDA-approved to treat hot flashes Kulkarni presented the review last week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago The findings are preliminary and have not yet been published in a physiological journal What excites me the greater part is that a medication designed to help women feel better during menopause may also reduce their liability of invasive breast cancer stated the expert who is also a Northwestern Medicine breast surgeon Women who face a higher threat of breast cancer including those who have experienced high-risk lesions and who also have menopausal features are bulk likely to benefit from the drug according to Kulkarni These women are typically advised against standard hormone therapies leaving them with meager menopausal healing options the release stated The researchers commented they are encouraged by these early results but more research is required before the medication can be considered for approval as a breast cancer prevention mechanism Our findings suggest that CE BZA may prevent breast cancer but larger studies with several years of follow-up are needed before we would know this for sure Kulkarni explained Fox News Digital Dr Sheheryar Kabraji chief of breast medicine at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo New York was not involved in the research but commented on the findings While intriguing this survey is highly preliminary and more research will be needed before we can conclude that conjugated estrogen bazedoxifene CD BZA a form of the hormone estrogen commonly prescribed to address effects of menopause prevents invasive breast cancer or is effective at reducing cancer pitfall she communicated Fox News Digital CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR VITALITY NEWSLETTERKabraji also noted that the evaluation focused on reducing levels of one specific protein which does not dependably predict reduced recurrence of breast cancer This review did not directly show that CE BZA rehabilitation reduces the vulnerability of DCIS recurrence or progress of invasive cancer she noted Importantly however patients who received this therapy experienced no worsening of quality of life and saw improvement in vasomotor indicators such as hot flashes If identified to be effective in preventing breast cancer CE BZA is likely to have fewer side effects than current medications used for breast cancer prevention For more Strength articles visit www foxnews com healthLead researcher Kulkarni emphasized that this medication is not for the healing of invasive breast cancer or DCIS Right now we can say that women who are concerned about their danger of emerging breast cancer can consider this medication to treat their menopausal markers she added