A group of international doctors and scientists have discovered that a drug used in medical abortions could help to prevent women at high risk of breast cancer from developing the disease.
Primarily, “stigma” around mifepristone is stopping the pharmaceutical companies from investigating its potential treatment. The new treatment suggests that doctors could offer to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Companies have been found hesitant to carry out trials despite the fact that previous studies found the drug slows down the growth of cancerous cells.
It has been observed that Mifepriston’s role in medical abortions is restricted in some countries.
Women in the UK state take one of two drugs alongside misoprostol when ending a pregnancy that began up to 10 weeks earlier. They particularly take a mifepristone tablet, then wait for about 24-48 hours and then take the misoprostol.
According to the opinion piece written by eight authors and published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women Health said, “It is deeply disappointing that the successful application of mifepristone in one area of clinical medicine is hindering more extensive research into other medications that could benefit public health.”
Breast cancer is one of the most common female cancers in various countries across the world with and kills an estimated 6,70,000 women globally every year.
In this case, mifepristone is a type of well-known drug used as a selective progesterone receptor modulator.
Women, who are at high risk of breast cancer, particularly carry a variant of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.
However, they are offered certain surgical options to perform treatment such as mastectomy or the drugs that are of low efficacy.
In this connection, Dr Marianne Baker, Cancer Research UK’s science engagement said that approximately 57,900 new diagnoses in Britain showed: “It’s vital we invest in research exploring new ways to prevent the disease.”
She further elucidated, “Cancer develops when cells grow uncontrollably. Early studies showed that mifepristone slowed down cell growth in breast tissue, so it might be useful in delaying or preventing cancer.”
More research is required to understand how it is effective and a large number of people could benefit.
The heads of department of women’s and children’s health at the Karlinshka Institute in Stockholm Gemzell Danielsson further shed light on the current research stating, “Stigma around mifepristone used for abortion is describing part of why mifepristone is not more extensively researched for prevention of breast cancer.”