Two classes of drugs that are already available in the market have been discovered to be helpful in women's fight against breast cancer. The information was revealed by two different meta studies.
According to the two researches, hormone-related treatments and a group of drugs to prevent osteoporosis provide better outcomes for post-menopausal women diagnosed with the disease. In fact, when they are consumed together, their effects are more positive than tamoxifen, currently one of the most common drugs given to breast cancer patients.
In the first meta study, more than 25,000 women who had already undergone menopause were selected. They had been part of 9 clinical trials. All these women also received aromatase inhibitors, which are intended for the endocrine system, specifically to prevent certain hormones from "activating" breast cancer cells to multiply and spread.
Based on this study, the drug can contribute to the prevention of recurrence of the disease by as much as one-third. It also reduced the risk of death by 40% than those who never received such treatment. For those who did, the percentage was more than 12%.
In another study that looked into more than 20 clinical trials participated by 20,000 women, bisphosphonates can increase the survival rate of patients by about 2 years. Although survival was good for a variety of breast cancer patients, it was more pronounced among post-menopausal woman.
Biphosphates are drugs used to treat osteoporosis, which is also a common disease among women 40 years old and above. However, according to the research, it can also prevent breast cancer cells from developing in the bones by making the environment "unpleasant" for them.
Individually, these drugs do have side effects. Interestingly, though, their function help cancer these effects.
The researchers hope that these medications may be considered for women who had already undergone menopause or are induced to have one.
