A medication aimed at alleviating the challenging symptoms of menopause might also lower the risk of invasive breast cancer, according to recent findings from a clinical trial at Northwestern University.
Each year, approximately 60,000 women are diagnosed with a non-invasive type of breast cancer that could lead to a higher chance of invasive tumors later on.
This non-invasive cancer, typically identified during routine mammograms, makes up about 25 percent of breast cancer cases and boasts a 98 percent recovery rate following surgical removal within a decade.
Nevertheless, to improve their odds of staying cancer-free, many patients opt for additional treatments like radiation and hormone therapy after surgery. Often, these treatments come with severe side effects.
A phase two clinical trial involved 141 postmenopausal women diagnosed with a type of contained breast cancer known as ductal carcinoma. Half of the participants received a drug called Duavee, which is used for managing menopausal symptoms, while the other half were given a placebo for the month leading up to their surgery.
Duavee combines estrogen hormones with bazedoxifene, a molecule that adjusts estrogen activity based on the tissue type. This estrogen receptor modifier is also utilized in treating osteoporosis.
Participants who took the medication showed significantly less cell growth in their breast tissue by the time of surgery. Interestingly, there was reportedly “no impact on quality of life compared to placebo.”
“What excites me most is that a medication designed to help women feel better during menopause may also reduce their risk of invasive breast cancer,” comments Swati Kulkarni, a surgeon at Northwestern University.
Importantly, those taking Duavee did not endure the harsh side effects commonly associated with other cancer medications. Instead, it seems to enhance the quality of life for individuals already dealing with menopause.
Although further research is necessary to confirm Duavee’s potential in preventing breast cancer, Kulkarni and her team believe that it could be quite beneficial for those experiencing both menopausal symptoms and elevated breast cancer risk.
Particularly since women with previous cancer lesions typically can’t use hormone treatments to alleviate menopause symptoms, as they could heighten the risk of breast cancer recurrence.
“These findings suggest that Duavee is a safe option for managing menopausal symptoms, especially for women worried about breast cancer risk, and provide supportive evidence that it may lower the likelihood of developing invasive breast cancer,” the researchers summarize in their conference abstract.
The results of the trial are pending publication but were shared at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s most recent annual meeting.
