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Breast cancer drug warning
More than 400 lives and £30 million a year could be saved if breast cancer patients completed their full course of a drug that causes unpleasant side effects, according to researchers at the University of Glasgow.
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- ITV Report
Completing breast cancer drug course could save hundreds
Tamoxifen side effects 'are better than being dead'
Breast cancer survivor Adrienne Morgan told ITV News the side-effects of breast cancer drug Tamoxifen are, quite simply, "better than being dead".
Her comments come as a new study revealed more than 400 lives and £30 million a year could be saved if breast cancer patients completed their full course of the drug that causes unpleasant side effects.
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Half a million face illness 'due to cancer treatment'
Doctor: Tamoxifen benefits 'both patient and NHS'
Colin McCowan, from the University of Glasgow, and his team analysed prescription records for 1,263 women with breast cancer to see how often they took Tamoxifen and for how long.
Dr McCowan hoped the findings could be used to develop "interventions" to help patients "get the most" from the drug.
More support needed to take breast cancer drug
Women who risk a recurrence of breast cancer by abandoning their prescribed medication need more support so they can continue taking it, according to a health chief.
Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of Breast Cancer Campaign, which has funded a study into the drug Tamoxifen said:
Tamoxifen prescribed to 13,000 women a year
The breast cancer drug Tamoxifen is prescribed to around 13,000 women per year in the UK. Researchers have warned about the negative effects of patients failing to complete the full course of medication.
- Patients are typically prescribed a five-year course
- The drug is to be taken once a day
- Usually prescribed after surgery, radiotherapy and any chemotherapy
- Side effects include hot flushes, joint pain, fatigue, weight gain and sweats
- Rarer side effects include blood clots
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Breast cancer patients urged to finish course of drugs
More than 400 lives and £30 million a year could be saved if breast cancer patients completed their full course of a drug that causes unpleasant side effects, according to new research.
Women who fail to take Tamoxifen for the full five years have a higher chance of their cancer coming back and suffering an early death.
The findings are based on records for 1,263 women with breast cancer that were analysed by a team at the University of Glasgow.
Tamoxifen is prescribed to around 13,000 women a year, usually after surgery, radiotherapy and any chemotherapy. Side effects include hot flushes, joint pain, fatigue, weight gain and sweats.
Latest ITV News reports
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Completing breast cancer drug course could save hundreds
Hundreds of lives could be saved every year if breast cancer patients took their full five-year course of drugs, according to research.