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NICE gives hope to thousands of breast cancer sufferers
Restrictions on access to a new breast cancer treatment have been lifted, offering new hope to thousands of women.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) issued final guidance backing the widespread use of aromatase inhibitors - meaning women in England and Wales will be entitled to NHS treatment with the drugs at any stage of the disease. Previously the drugs were only used once breast cancer had spread.
Aromatase inhibitors administered after surgery block production of oestrogen, which fuels hormone-sensitive breast cancer. They have been produced as an alternative or addition to the "gold standard" anti-oestrogen drug tamoxifen.
Research has shown that switching to the aromatase inhibitor exemestane after two or three years of tamoxifen treatment can cut the risk of breast cancer returning by nearly a third. The Nice guidance recommends using the three aromatase inhibitors currently available - exemestane, anastrozole and letrozole - in different ways.
Dr Emma Pennery, nurse consultant at the charity Breast Cancer Care, said the move could help thousands of post-menopausal women with early-stage breast cancer. She said: "Women we spoke to during the consultation for this guidance told us just how much difference it can make to have access to a variety of effective treatments that could reduce the risk of their breast cancer returning. Aromatase inhibitors have proven benefits and could reduce the side effects that patients experience. They have the potential to improve the quality of life for many women, so we know how much they will welcome this news."
Around 41,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK, and about 12,000 women die from the disease.
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