Latest news with #SwatiKulkarni
New York Post
a day ago
- Health
- New York Post
Menopause drug might prevent breast cancer and treat hot flashes, research finds
A drug intended to treat menopause symptoms could double as breast cancer prevention. New research from Northwestern University in Illinois found that Duavee, a Pfizer-made drug, 'significantly reduced' breast tissue cell growth, which is a major indicator of cancer progression. Advertisement A phase 2 clinical trial included 141 post-menopausal women who had been diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), also known as stage 0 breast cancer, according to a press release from Northwestern. This non-invasive breast cancer affects more than 60,000 American women each year, often leading to an outcome of invasive breast cancer. The women were separated into two groups — one received Duavee and the other took a placebo for a month before undergoing breast surgery. Duavee is a conjugated estrogen/bazedoxifene (CE/BZA) drug, which combines estrogen with another medication that minimizes the potential harmful side effects of the hormone. Advertisement 'The key takeaway from the study is that CE/BZA slows the growth (proliferation) of cells in milk ducts of DCIS that expressed the estrogen receptor significantly more than placebo,' Dr. Swati Kulkarni, lead investigator and professor of breast surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital. 5 New research from Northwestern University found that the drug Duavee 'significantly reduced' breast tissue cell growth, a major indicator of cancer progression. Marko Geber – Another major finding is that the quality of life did not differ significantly between the two groups, but patients who took the CE/BZA reported fewer hot flashes during the study, she noted. 'This would be expected, as the drug is FDA-approved to treat hot flashes.' Advertisement Kulkarni presented the study last week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago. 5 The women in the study were separated into two groups — one received Duavee and the other took a placebo for a month before undergoing breast surgery. Gorodenkoff – 5 Those who took the drug reported fewer hot flashes during the study. fizkes – The findings are preliminary and have not yet been published in a medical journal. Advertisement '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,' said the doctor, who is also a Northwestern Medicine breast surgeon. Women who face a higher risk of breast cancer — including those who have experienced 'high-risk lesions' — and who also have menopausal symptoms are most likely to benefit from the drug, according to Kulkarni. 'These women are typically advised against standard hormone therapies, leaving them with few menopausal treatment options,' the release stated. Study limitations The researchers said they are 'encouraged' by these early results, but more research is required before the medication can be considered for approval as a breast cancer prevention mechanism. 'Our findings suggest that CE/BZA may prevent breast cancer, but larger studies with several years of follow-up are needed before we would know this for sure,' Kulkarni told Fox News Digital. Dr. Sheheryar Kabraji, chief of breast medicine at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings. 5 '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,' Dr. Swati Kulkarni said. sarayutsridee – Advertisement 'While intriguing, this study is highly preliminary, and more research will be needed before we can conclude that conjugated estrogen/bazedoxifene (CD/BZA), a form of the hormone estrogen commonly prescribed to address symptoms of menopause, prevents invasive breast cancer or is effective at reducing cancer risk,' he told Fox News Digital. Kabraji also noted that the study focused on reducing levels of one specific protein, 'which does not always predict reduced recurrence of breast cancer.' 'This study did not directly show that CE/BZA treatment reduces the risk of DCIS recurrence or development of invasive cancer,' he noted. 5 According to Kulkarni,'larger studies with several years of follow-up are needed' to confirm that the drug prevents breast cancer. Science RF – Advertisement 'Importantly, however, patients who received this therapy experienced no worsening of quality of life, and saw improvement in vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes. If found to be effective in preventing breast cancer, CE/BZA is likely to have fewer side effects than current medications used for breast cancer prevention.' Lead researcher Kulkarni emphasized that this medication is not for the treatment of invasive breast cancer or DCIS. 'Right now, we can say that women who are concerned about their risk of developing breast cancer can consider this medication to treat their menopausal symptoms,' she added.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Common menopause medication might prevent breast cancer while treating hot flashes
A drug intended to treat menopause symptoms could double as breast cancer prevention. New research from Northwestern University in Illinois found that Duavee, a Pfizer-made drug, "significantly reduced" breast tissue cell growth, which is a major indicator of cancer progression. A phase 2 clinical trial included 141 post-menopausal women who had been diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), also known as stage 0 breast cancer, according to a press release from Northwestern. Prostate Cancer Drug Now Available To More Patients With Aggressive Form Of Disease This non-invasive breast cancer affects more than 60,000 American women each year, often leading to an outcome of invasive breast cancer. The women were separated into two groups — one received Duavee and the other took a placebo for a month before undergoing breast surgery. Read On The Fox News App Duavee is a conjugated estrogen/bazedoxifene (CE/BZA) drug, which combines estrogen with another medication that minimizes the potential harmful side effects of the hormone. "The key takeaway from the study is that CE/BZA slows the growth (proliferation) of cells in milk ducts of DCIS that expressed the estrogen receptor significantly more than placebo," Dr. Swati Kulkarni, lead investigator and professor of breast surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital. Experimental Women's Cancer Drug Boosts Survival Rates In Notable Study Another major finding is that the quality of life did not differ significantly between the two groups, but patients who took the CE/BZA reported fewer hot flashes during the study, she noted. "This would be expected, as the drug is FDA-approved to treat hot flashes." Kulkarni presented the study last week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago. The findings are preliminary and have not yet been published in a medical journal. "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," said the doctor, who is also a Northwestern Medicine breast surgeon. Women who face a higher risk of breast cancer — including those who have experienced "high-risk lesions" — and who also have menopausal symptoms are most likely to benefit from the drug, according to Kulkarni. "These women are typically advised against standard hormone therapies, leaving them with few menopausal treatment options," the release stated. The researchers said they are "encouraged" by these early results, but more research is required before the medication can be considered for approval as a breast cancer prevention mechanism. "Our findings suggest that CE/BZA may prevent breast cancer, but larger studies with several years of follow-up are needed before we would know this for sure," Kulkarni told Fox News Digital. Dr. Sheheryar Kabraji, chief of breast medicine at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings. "While intriguing, this study is highly preliminary, and more research will be needed before we can conclude that conjugated estrogen/bazedoxifene (CD/BZA), a form of the hormone estrogen commonly prescribed to address symptoms of menopause, prevents invasive breast cancer or is effective at reducing cancer risk," she told Fox News Digital. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter Kabraji also noted that the study focused on reducing levels of one specific protein, "which does not always predict reduced recurrence of breast cancer." "This study did not directly show that CE/BZA treatment reduces the risk of DCIS recurrence or development of invasive cancer," she noted. "Importantly, however, patients who received this therapy experienced no worsening of quality of life, and saw improvement in vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes. If found to be effective in preventing breast cancer, CE/BZA is likely to have fewer side effects than current medications used for breast cancer prevention." For more Health articles, visit Lead researcher Kulkarni emphasized that this medication is not for the treatment of invasive breast cancer or DCIS. "Right now, we can say that women who are concerned about their risk of developing breast cancer can consider this medication to treat their menopausal symptoms," she article source: Common menopause medication might prevent breast cancer while treating hot flashes
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Menopause Drug Reduces Breast Cancer Growth In Clinical Trial
A drug used to relieve the debilitating symptoms of menopause may also be reducing the risk of invasive breast cancer, a new clinical trial by Northwestern University suggests. Almost 60,000 women a year are diagnosed with a contained form of breast cancer that can indicate a higher risk of developing invasive tumors later in life. The non-invasive cancer is typically detected during routine mammograms, accounts for up to 25 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses, and has a 98 percent recovery rate after 10 years when removed by surgery. However, to increase their chance of remaining cancer-free many patients also undergo treatments like radiation and hormone therapy following surgery. These treatments often have debilitating side effects. The phase two clinical trial recruited 141 postmenopausal women who have a form of contained breast cancer called ductal carcinoma tumors. Half of them were given a medication for managing symptoms of menopause called Duavee; others were administered a placebo for the month between diagnosis and breast cancer surgery. Duavee is composed of estrogen hormones and bazedoxifene – a molecule that either promotes or dampens the use of estrogens in the body, depending on the type of tissue it is in. This estrogen receptor modifier is also used to help treat osteoporosis. Those who took the drug had notably less cell growth in their breast tissue by their surgery date. There was also "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," says Northwestern University surgeon Swati Kulkarni. Significantly, trial participants taking Duavee did not experience the intolerable side effects associated with other cancer drugs. Rather, it tends to increase the quality of life in people already struggling with menopause. While larger studies are still needed to confirm Duavee's ability to prevent breast cancer, Kulkarni and team suggest that, for now, those with elevated risk for breast cancer as well as menopausal symptoms would most likely benefit from Duavee. Especially given women with prior cancer lesions can't resort to hormone treatments to ease their menopause symptoms because they can increase the risk of breast cancer returning. "These results support consideration that [Duavee] is a safe option to manage menopausal symptoms for women concerned about their risk of developing breast cancer, and provide supportive evidence that [Duavee] may reduce the risk of developing invasive breast cancer," the researchers conclude in their conference abstract. The trial results have yet to be published but were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's latest annual meeting. Bowel Cancer in Young People Is Rising – Here's How to Reduce Your Risk Why Do Some People Need Less Sleep? The Answer Lies in Our Genes. Regular Exercise Reduces Death From Colon Cancer by 37%, Study Finds
