Drug cuts breast-cancer risk?

A drug which has long been used to treat bone loss is finding a new lease of life in preventing breast cancer.

A recent study published in the New England Journal Of Medicine last Thursday found that the drug, Zometa, cuts the risk of breast cancer by over 30 per cent.

This means that Zometa could be used to prevent early-stage breast cancer from worsening.

Zometa, which is manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Novartis, has been available in Singapore since 1998.

It is traditionally used to prevent bone loss that can occur in cancer patients who have received hormonal therapy.

Doctors here who spoke to my paper said that while they could prescribe the drug to breast-cancer patients, they said it was not a 'normal treatment' for them.

And the drug does not come cheap. It costs between $500 and $600 a pop for an injection.

Dr Ang Peng Tiam, medical director of Parkway Cancer Centre, told my paper yesterday that the findings are 'exciting' because Zometa can now reduce the risk of breast cancer and its spread to other parts of the body, like the bones.

Dr Ang has been treating cancer patients for over 20 years and is a strong believer in the beneficial effects of Zometa.

'I used to tell my patients that data was not very clear, but the new findings prove a point,' he said.

Now, he would advise breastcancer patients - who have completed surgery to remove their tumours or finished a course of chemotherapy - to use Zometa to reduce the risk of a cancer relapse.

Consultant medical oncologist Elaine Lim from International Cancer Specialists agreed that the new research is an interesting study for breast-cancer treatment.

But the breast-cancer specialist said that Zometa is still not a standard cancer treatment.

So whether or not Zometa should be given for patients diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer should be discussed between the patient and the doctor, said Dr Lim.

'The study doesn't have a long enough follow-up for doctors to know how long to administer Zometa nor the side effects

that could arise,' she said. Still, she noted that Zometa has an established role in preventing bone pain and weakening

in advanced stages of breast cancer when the cancer has spread to the bones.

In such cases, Dr Lim said patients would have to go for a Zometa injection once every three to four weeks for an indefinite period or until their condition worsens to the point that they cannot continue treatment.

Known side effects of Zometa include fever, tiredness, body aches and, in very rare cases, jaw and kidney problems. - MY PAPER

Source: My Paper, 17 Feb, 2009