Good news for cancer treatment

WOMEN who have been taking tamoxifen while recovering from breast cancer can lower their chance of developing another tumour by switching to a new drug, exemestane, after two or three years of treatment.

According to preliminary results released yesterday by the New England Journal of Medicine, the Pfizer-financed study also found the switch to the Pfizer drug seemed to lower the risk of other types of cancers, too.

Tamoxifen is sold under the brand name Nolvadex by AstraZeneca, and is usually taken for five years.