A newer drug clearly outperforms tamoxifen at preventing breast cancer from returning and should become the first-choice treatment for most women who have had the disease, doctors are reporting.

A BREAST cancer drug which prevents relapses and the return of tumours will offer new hope to women living with cancer after other treatments have expired, the Irish Cancer Society said yesterday.

Researchers were so excited by early results from a study on preventing the recurrence of breast cancer they halted their work so more women could benefit from the findings.