New breast cancer prevention guideline released

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Postmenopausal women who are at increased risk for breast cancer, because of a family history of the disease or other factors, can take either tamoxifen or raloxifene (Evista) to reduce their risk of the cancer, according to an updated guideline released this week by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The previous version of the guideline only recommended tamoxifen for this purpose.

Specifically, the guideline states that premenopausal and postmenopausal women who have an increased risk of breast cancer may take tamoxifen for 5 years to reduce their risk of breast cancer for up to 10 years. It is not known if there is a benefit to taking tamoxifen for more than 5 years, according to the guideline.

The updated guideline also states that postmenopausal women at an increased risk for breast cancer may also consider Evista for 5 years to reduce their risk of developing breast cancer. Evista may be used for longer than 5 years in postmenopausal women who are already taking the drug to prevent osteoporosis.

The guideline also states which women should not take these drugs. Evista and tamoxifen are not recommended for women with a history of blood clots or stroke, and Evista is not recommended for premenopausal women.

"It is important that women at increased risk of breast cancer be given the option of considering treatments that may reduce their risk," Dr. Kala Visvanathan from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the School of Medicine, and the lead author of the guideline, said in a prepared statement from ASCO.

In addition, the guideline states that breast cancer risk should be calculated periodically, because a woman's risk of breast cancer increases throughout her lifetime.

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