Posted by Michael Wonder on 22 Mar 2017
Post-menopausal women with a family history of breast cancer should be offered anastrozole, says NICE in updated guidance
22 March 2017 - Post-menopausal women with a family history of breast cancer should be offered anastrozole, NICE has said in updated guidance.
Women whose close family members have had breast cancer, particularly at an early age, may benefit from medicines to reduce their risk of developing the disease.
New evidence demonstrated if 1,000 post-menopausal women at high risk of breast cancer took anastrozole for 5 years 35 cases of breast cancer would be prevented, compared to 21 if they took tamoxifen.
NICE recommends anastrozole is offered for 5 years to post-menopausal women at high or moderate risk of breast cancer unless they have severe osteoporosis. And clinicians should consider offering it to women at moderate risk of breast cancer.
Women at high risk who have not been through the menopause should continue to be offered tamoxifen, the guideline says.
