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Last Updated: Jun 30, 2008 - 11:14:37 AM |
TUESDAY FEB 26, 2008 (Foodconsumer.org) -- Breast cancer drugs, known as aromatase inhibitors, used to prevent recurrence of breast cancer after surgery, pose slightly higher risk of cardiovascular disorders more than tamoxifen, according to a new study in the Jan 15, 2008 issue of the medical journal Cancer.
Aromatase inhibitors are believed to be better than tamoxifen in certain cases while the latter critics say could not do much to help reduce the mortality rate. But early observations suggested that aromatase inhibitors may be linked to higher risk of cardiac events.
The current study by Dr. Federica Cuppone from Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, and colleagues was based on data from a total of 20,000 postmenopausal women with early breast cancer.
Over the follow-up period ranging from 2 to 5 years, those who received aromatase-inhibitor treatment were 31 percent more likely to have cardiovascular events than those who received tamoxifen. The increased risk was lower than early expected though, the researchers said.
On the other hand, women treated with tamoxifen were more likely to have an overall high rate of other side effects including blood clots and stroke.
Breast cancer is expected to be diagnosed in 82,460 women and kill 40,480 women in the United States in 2008, according to cancer.gov.
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