HOUSTON, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A once-a-day pill that stopped lung cancer in some patients may be effective in stopping new breast cancers or recurrences, Texas scientists say.
The Houston Chronicle reports the lung cancer medication Iressa may offer a treatment option for thousands of women at risk for breast cancer unaffected by the "anti-estrogens," tamoxifen or raloxifene, which slow or stop the growth of new breast cancer cells.
The work is described by Baylor College of Medicine researchers in the latest issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Iressa and tamoxifen might be combined to prevent recurrences or development of new breast cancers of either type, said Powel Brown, director of the cancer prevention section at the Breast Center at Baylor and The Methodist Hospital.
In several large-scale experiments, tamoxifen and raloxifene were shown to stop breast tumors that need estrogen to grow.
However, about 30 percent to 40 percent of breast tumors don't need estrogen to grow.
Studies show Iressa, approved for lung cancer treatment earlier this year, can stop or slow the growth of various types of cancer cells by blocking a cellular signaling pathway that contributes to tumor survival and growth.
