The science is sound but is not widely known that many women at increased risk of breast cancer can halve the risk with “anti-hormone” drugs.
A simple system developed in Australia can help many women use medication that has the potential to reduce their risk of breast cancer by up to 50 per cent.
Most women over 50 think all they can do to manage the risk is to have mammograms every two years, get checked if they noticeIn 2013, Professor Phillips began working on the new system at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. It is now functioning and open to women across Australia.Tools to measure such risk have been evolving for more than 30 years.
Women are encouraged to try them for six weeks and if side effects are a problem they can switch medication or stop entirely. Hot flushes and night sweats are the most common side effects, but some medications provide other benefits such as improving bone strength.Having completed the tool, those who decide to progress take the second step, which is consulting their GP for a personal discussion.
“If they’re interested, we write the first scripts to initiate the medication, see them six weeks later to make sure everything is OK, and then their GP takes over,” Professor Phillips said.
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