An estimated 289,000 women in England who are at moderate or high risk of breast cancer will from today be able to take the tablet to try to stop it from developing, NHS bosses said.
The drug, anastrozole, is being made available to women who are in greater danger because they have been through the menopause and have a major family history of Britain's commonest form of cancer. It displays "remarkable" potential to reduce the number of them who go on to develop the disease, the head of the NHS said last night.
Every year around 56,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer - about 150 a day. While survival rates have improved, it still claims about 11,500 lives.
"It's fantastic that this vital riskreducing option could now help thousands of women and their families avoid the distress of a breast cancer diagnosis," said Amanda Pritchard, the NHS England chief executive. The drug will be taken as a img tablet once a day for five years.
This story is from the November 07, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the November 07, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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