Charity's concern over breast cancer drug

A 'worrying' number of family doctors are not offering at-risk patients a preventative breast cancer drug, a charity has said.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Feb 2017, 00:00 BST
Updated 1st Mar 2017, 09:22 BST
A "worrying" number of family doctors are not offering at-risk patients a preventative breast cancer drug, a charity has said. The comments from Breast Cancer Now come as a new study found that only half of GPs were aware that the drug tamoxifen could be used to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Photo credit: Rui Vieira/PA WireA "worrying" number of family doctors are not offering at-risk patients a preventative breast cancer drug, a charity has said. The comments from Breast Cancer Now come as a new study found that only half of GPs were aware that the drug tamoxifen could be used to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Photo credit: Rui Vieira/PA Wire
A "worrying" number of family doctors are not offering at-risk patients a preventative breast cancer drug, a charity has said. The comments from Breast Cancer Now come as a new study found that only half of GPs were aware that the drug tamoxifen could be used to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Photo credit: Rui Vieira/PA Wire

The comments from Breast Cancer Now come as a new study found that only half of GPs were aware that the drug tamoxifen could be used to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

In 2013, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommended that women deemed to be at moderate or high risk of breast cancer should be offered chemoprevention drugs - including tamoxifen.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Commenting on the study, Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: “It is extremely concerning that many women at an increased risk of breast cancer are still not being offered the choice of taking tamoxifen.

“This study highlights that greater support needs to be offered to GPs in prescribing off-patent drugs in new uses.”