Mastectomy is no longer the only option for women to prevent breast cancer. In Europe, many women are turning to Tamoxifen to avoid surgery and its consequences.
When Angelina Jolie announced that she had undergone a double mastectomy to reduce her chances of developing breast cancer, many patients in a similar situation considered the same solution. However, it is a complicated decision for women as it involves the removal of the breast. Thanks to Tamoxifen, this is no longer necessary. Now women who are at high risk of breast cancer can resort to this drug without having to undergo surgery.
Tamoxifen is a drug that until recently was used as a complementary therapy once surgery and chemotherapy treatment had been completed and in those women who had a hormone-dependent tumor. It is now that the possibility of using this drug in a preventive way in those who have a high risk due to genetic causes has been raised.
Several studies certify that Tamoxifen manages to reduce by almost 50% the possibility of developing the disease in women with a high genetic risk of suffering from it. However, in spite of this result, surgery is still the safest option and those women who have the defective BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene and, therefore, a high genetic risk of suffering from the disease can resort to surgery.
In spite of the good news, it must be taken into account that the use of Tamoxifen can have negative effects on the health of patients since, according to the warnings of some specialists, it can produce polyps, hyperplasia or endometrial cancer. The key to avoid these risks is to subject the patients to frequent controls that will allow them to monitor the functioning of the drug in their bodies, especially in those who keep their ovaries.
United Kingdom pioneers in Europe
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the United Kingdom, affecting half a million women each year. According to data from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), more than 500,000 are expected to benefit from this treatment. With this new measure, the Anglo-Saxon country becomes the first in Europe to prescribe tamoxifen to women suffering from breast cancer.
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