Menopause drug Duavee shows promise for breast cancer prevention in study

Medications intended to treat menopause symptoms are Breast cancer prevention.

A new study from Northwestern University, Illinois, found that Duavee, a Pfizer drug, “significantly reduces” breast tissue cell growth, a key indicator of cancer progression.

According to a press release from Northwestern, the phase 2 clinical trial included 141 postmenopausal women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma (DCIS), also known as breast cancer (DCIS).

Prostate cancer drugs increase in patients with aggressive disease

This non-invasive breast cancer It affects more than 60,000 American women each year, and in many cases lead to invasive breast cancer outcomes.

The women were divided into two groups. One received Duavee and the other took a placebo for a month before undergoing breast surgery.

Drugs aimed at treating menopause symptoms may also serve as a prevention of breast cancer, new research suggests. (istock)

Duavee is conjugated Estrogen/Bazedoxifene (CE/BZA) drugcombines another drug therapy that minimizes the potentially harmful side effects of estrogen and hormones.

“The key point from this study is that CE/BZA slows the growth (proliferation) of cells in the milk ducts of DCIS, which expresses estrogen receptors more than placebo,” Dr. Swati Kulkarni, the lead investigator of breast surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School, told Fox News Digital.

Experimental female cancer drugs increase survival rates in notable studies

Another major finding was that the quality of life did not differ significantly between the two groups, but patients taking CE/BZA reported less hot flashes during the study, she noted.

“This is expected as this drug is FDA approved to treat hot flashes.”

“What excites me most is that medications designed to help women feel better during menopause can also reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer.”

Kulkarni presented the study 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 medical journals.

“What excites me most is that medications designed to help women feel better during menopause may reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer,” said the doctor, who is also a breast surgeon at Northwestern Medicine.

Ductal carcinoma (DCIS), also known as stage 0 breast cancer, affects more than 60,000 women in the US each year. (istock)

Women who have high risk of breast cancer, including those who have experienced “high-risk lesions” and women who have also had one Menopause symptoms According to Kulkarni, they are most likely to benefit from the drug.

“These women are usually advised against standard hormonal therapy and have few options for menopause treatment,” the release states.

Research Limitations

Researchers said they were “encouraged” by these early results, but said more research is needed before pharmacotherapy is considered for approval as a breast cancer prevention mechanism.

Click here to get the Fox News app

“Our findings suggest that CE/BZA may prevent breast cancer, but certainly larger research is needed with years of follow-up before we know this,” Kulkarni told Fox News Digital.

Postmenopausal patients taking CE/BZA reported less hot flashes during the study. (istock)

Dr. Sheryal Kavraj, chief of breast medicine at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings.

“It’s intriguing, but this study is very preliminary More research “Conjugated estrogen/bazedoxifene (CD/BZA), a form of hormone estrogen commonly prescribed to address menopause symptoms, is necessary before we conclude that it is effective in preventing invasive breast cancer or reducing the risk of cancer,” she told Fox News Digital.

Click here to sign up for our health newsletter

Kabraji also said the study focused on lowering levels of one specific protein, “not always predicting a reduction in breast cancer recurrence.”

“This study did not directly indicate that CE/BZA treatment reduces the risk of DCIS recurrence or invasive cancer development,” she noted.

“It’s intriguing, but this study is very preliminary.”

“However, patients who received this therapy did not experience any deterioration in quality of life and saw improvements in vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes. If they are found to be effective in preventing breast cancer, CE/BZA may have fewer side effects than current drugs. Breast cancer prevention. ”

Visit us for more health articles www.foxnews.com/health

Chief investigator Kulkarni emphasized that the drug is not for the treatment of invasive breast cancer or DCIS.

“Now, women who are concerned about the risk of developing breast cancer can consider this medication to treat menopause symptoms,” she added.