A recent study has found that letrozole is effective in treating breast cancer as compared to the standard treatment using tamoxifen. It has come to light that among those who avail standard treatment, 21% are at the risk of dying down to oestrogen-positive (ER+) breast cancer.

The researchers are of the view that the new drug would help in reducing the death rates. To reduce the chances of a woman dying from breast cancer, they would be required to take the treatment for five years after going through the surgery.

The letrozole was approved five years ago. The treatment was approved initially for women having postmenopausal. The drug is also popular as Femara. In Britain, almost 37,000 women are diagnosed with oestrogen-positive
(ER+) breast cancer every year.

It has been informed that the oestrogen-positive (ER+) breast cancer triggers one’s breast because of the presence of sex hormone oestrogen. For long, it was thought that the tamoxifen could ward off the reappearing of oestrogen-positive (ER+) breast cancer as it blocks the sex hormone oestrogen.

However, the findings of the study, published in the Online First in The Lancet Oncology, say that the tamoxifen is not an effective treatment. For the study, the researchers recruited 8,000 women. These women were provided with either letrazole or tamoxifen.

It was found that those who took letrozole have lower risk of succumbing to death of breast cancer. While commenting on the findings of the study, Meredith Regan, lead author of the study said, “This updated analysis shows that letrazole offers long-term protection over tamoxifen in these patients”.

It is hoped that the findings of the study would help in reducing the death rates occurring because of breast cancer. Every year, millions of women are diagnosed with breast cancer. If provided timely care, these women can be saved from the clutch of the lethal disease.