MAJOR WEAPON ‘Lifeline’ for Sufferers of Breast Cancer As New Drug Approved

THOUSANDS of Scots women at risk of breast cancer were “thrown a lifeline” yesterday when doctors were given the go-ahead to prescribe a new preventative drug.

Femara, which slashes the chances of the disease returning after surgery, was officially approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium, the Executive’s drugs watchdog.

Doctors hailed the drug’s introduction as a major weapon in the fight against the disease, the most common form of cancer among Scottish women.

More than 3,500 women north of the Border are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Although survival rates are soaring, about 1,000 women a year in Scotland die from the disease.

The usual preventative treatment following surgery for breast cancer has been the drug tamoxifen. But it can be taken for only five years, after which it loses its potency and can have serious side-effects.

A third of women with breast cancer will have a recurrence after surgery and more than half these cases happen after tamoxifen treatment has ceased.

But now Femara – pharmaceutical name letrozole – will give thousands of women with breast cancer renewed hope.

The drug, taken in the form of a daily pill, will be prescribed initially to post-menopausal women who make up the majority of breast cancer patients. It will be taken for three years after the end of a tamoxifen course, by which time patients should be clear of the disease.

Each year, more than 700 women in Scotland complete tamoxifen therapy. Yesterday’s decision means that all these women will now have the chance to take Femara, giving extra hope to prevent the cancer recurring.

Dr Dave Cameron, consultant oncologist at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh where clinical trials of Femara have been taking place, welcomed the SMC’s approval of the drug.

He said: “This is truly excellent news. It means that Scottish clinicians can now prescribe Femara to all post-menopausal women with early breast cancer once they have finished the standard treatment.

“It throws a lifeline to women because, until now, there has been no therapy to switch to after tamoxifen to prevent their cancer coming back.”

Mike Dixon, a consultant surgeon at the Western General in Edinburgh, added: “Many women who stop tamoxifen after five years worry that their cancer will return. With letrozole now available, these women can continue breast cancer treatment secure in the knowledge that it will further reduce the chance of cancer coming back.”

Femara was licensed for use in the UK in October 2004 for this particular treatment, but the advice from the SMC will give NHS boards in Scotland the stamp of approval to consider the drug for treatment.

The National Institute of Clinical Excellence, the English and Welsh equivalent of the SMC, has yet to consider the use of Femara for this particular treatment.

Dr John Dewar, a consultant clinical oncologist at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, explained the drug is already used to treat recurring cancers. But further assessment has enabled SMC to recommend use of the drug as a preventative treatment where appropriate.

But Dr Dewar pointed out doctors must balance risks – including an increased risk of osteoporosis – and benefits, and advised patients to discuss the treatment with their surgeon or oncologist.

Trials have shown that the drug not only cuts the risk of breast cancer recurring by 42 per cent, it also lowers the risk of cancer spreading to other parts of the body by 39 per cent. The drug, developed by the Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis, costs more than GBP 80 a month. But doctors say it will more than pay for itself because fewer women will need expensive treatment for recurring cancers.

One woman who has been taking part in Femara trials at the Western General is Eileen Monaghan, from North Berwick, East Lothian.

Mother-of-two Mrs Monaghan, who is in her sixties and was diagnosed with breast cancer seven-and-a-half years ago, said yesterday: “I saw tamoxifen therapy as my safety net. When I was coming to the end of it, I thought, ‘What now?’”

Mrs Monaghan, who is a keen golfer and gardener, added: “Now, just knowing there is something to fill the gap is very encouraging. I have been taking Femara for more than two-and-a-half years and I am feeling healthy and positive about the future.”

* For further information on the use of Femara phone Breast Cancer Care on 0808 800 6000