Women who survive breast cancer are often haunted by the fear that it might come back. But new research indicates that letrozole, which is sold under the brand name Femara, was effective in cutting the recurrence risk for women of all ages, including those older than 70.
many more women than had been thought can do something to protect themselves.
Currently, women whose tumors were fueled by the hormone estrogen can take the drug tamoxifen after undergoing surgery, radiation and chemotherapy to reduce their risk of a recurrence. But tamoxifen only helps for five years. After that, it may be dangerous.
Five years ago, researchers stopped a large international study early when it showed that women who had early-stage breast cancer and who took another drug, known as an aromatase inhibitor, after tamoxifen were nearly half as likely to suffer a relapse. But many questions remained, including whether it would work for women who had been diagnosed. Check out the answer to theses questions with the rest of this story with Rob Stein, Washington Post Staff Writer