Breast Cancer Treatment: 2 Cheap Generic Drugs Can Cure Cancer, Study Finds

A recent study has discovered that breast cancer mortality rates can be reduced by simply using two cheap and affordable generic drugs, as compared to drugs like Tamoxifen.

According to Healthline, researchers have discovered that aromatase inhibitors, which stop estrogen from enhancing cancer cell growth, and bisphosphonates, which prevents cancer tumors from spreading to the bones, are better treatment for breast cancer when combined during the its early stages.

Dr. Richard Gray of University of Oxford said the drugs have been able to complement each other by the ability of bisphosphonates to improve the side effects of aromatase inhibitors.

NY Daily News adds that as breast cancer can be spread to the bones, the incorporation of bisphosphonates has reduced the recurrence of tumor in the bones by 28 percent. It has dramatically decreased the risk of breast cancer patients from dying of the disease by 18 percent. The analysis of both reports has included data of 18,766 women in 26 different trials with comparison to bisphosphonates use.

The researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute said the affordability, low toxicity levels and overall benefit of the two drugs can encourage patients to use them, especially postmenopausal women. Furthermore, by taking bisphosphonates and aromatase inhibitors, joint pains and other side effects can be prevented.

EurekAlert! adds that the Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group is the one responsible for the studies. It is a worldwide collaboration of researchers from University of Oxford in UK and has been set up 30 years ago to bring together evidence of continuous or random trials for treatment of breast cancer.

The benefit of the studies did not depend on what type of bisphosphonate has been used, how long the treatment has been conducted, how big is the tumor or if it has metastasize, or whether it is positive for estrogen-receptor.

Unfortunately, the use of both drugs has not yet been discovered to reduce the risk of the possibility of developing cancer for the other breast. Perhaps with more studies and research, the bisphosphonates treatment can be enhanced further.

The reports have been published in the journal The Lancet today and are meant to target post-menopausal breast cancer patients and help them fight the disease.