Menopause medicine can prevent breast cancer and treat flashes, according to research

A drug intended to treat symptoms of menopause could double as the prevention of breast cancer.

New research at the University of Northwest Illinois found that Duavee, a drug made by Pfizer, “significantly reduced” the growth of breast tissue cells, which is an important indicator of cancer progression.

A clinical trial of phase 2 included 141 women postmenopauses who had been diagnosed with ductal in situ carcinoma (DCIS), also known as breast cancer in phase 0, according to a statement from Northwestern.

This non-invasive breast cancer affects more than 60,000 American women each year, often causing a result of invasive breast cancer.

Women separated into two groups: one received Duavee and the other took a placebo for a month before submitting to breast surgery.

Duave is a conjugated estrogen/bazedoxifene (CE/BZA) medicine, which combines estrogen with another medicine that minimizes the possible harmful side effects of the hormone.

“Key door to study is that CE/BZA slows down the growth (proliferation) of cells in DCIS milk ducts, which significantly expressed estrogen receptor more than placebo,” said Dr. Swati Kulkarni, a lead researcher and breast surgery professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Digital.

Another important conclusion is that the quality of life does not differ significantly between the two groups, but the patients who took the CE/BZA reported less hot flashes during the study.

“This would be expected as the drug is approved by the FDA to treat the flashes.”

Kulkarni presented the study last week at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago.

The findings are preliminary and have not yet been published in a medical journal.

“What excites me most is that a drug designed to help women feel -better during menopause can also reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer,” said the doctor, who is also a northern breast surgeon -west.

Women who have a higher risk of breast cancer, including those who have experienced “high risk injuries”, and also have symptoms of menopause are more likely to benefit from the drug, according to Kulkarni.

“These women are often advised against standard hormonal therapies, leaving them with few menopause treatment options,” the launch said.

Study limitations

Researchers said they are “fostered” for these early results, but more research is required before the medication for approval can be considered as a breast cancer prevention mechanism.

“Our findings suggest that CE/BZA can prevent breast cancer, but larger studies are needed with several years of follow -up before we know safely,” Kulkarni told Fox News Digital.

Dr. Sheherryar Kabraji, the head of breast medicine of the Roswell Park Integral Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, did not participate in the studio, but instead commented on the findings.

“ Although intriguing, this study is highly preliminary and more investigations will need to be concluded that conjugated estrogen/bazedoxifene (CD/BZA), a form of estrogen hormone is commonly prescribed to address the symptoms of menopause, prevents invasive breast cancer or is effective in reducing the risk of cancer, ” he told Fox News.

Kabraji also said that the study focused on reducing the levels of a specific protein, “which does not always predict the reduced recurrence of breast cancer.”

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

“It is important, however, the patients who received this therapy did not experience any worsening quality of life and saw an improvement in vasomotor symptoms, such as flashes.

Principal researcher Kulkarni emphasized that this drug is not for the treatment of invasive breast cancer or DCIS.

“Right now, we can say that women who are concerned about the risk of developing breast cancer can consider this drug to treat their symptoms of menopause,” he added.