This article is from the WebMD News Archive
Evista Prevents Breast Cancer -- for Some
Jan. 8, 2002 -- Previous research has shown that the osteoporosis drug Evista can prevent breast cancer in women. However, a new study shows that this is only true for certain women.
Evista works by blocking the effects of estrogen -- called estradiol in the body. Currently, doctors use it to prevent or treat osteoporosis in women with thinning bones. However, recent research has also shown that it can reduce the chance of getting breast cancer.
To see if this is true for all women, the researchers looked at more than 7,200 women with osteoporosis aged 80 years or younger. Women who had breast cancer or took estrogen in the past were excluded from the study.
The results are published in the Jan. 9 issue of TheJournal of the American Medical Association.
Each woman then had her estradiol levels checked by a blood test. The women were then split into two groups -- one group got Evista and the other got a placebo for four years.
For women on placebo, those with high estradiol levels were almost seven times more likely to develop breast cancer during the four years. This indicates that high estradiol levels in the blood do increase a woman's chance of getting breast cancer.
Next, the researchers compared the effects of Evista vs. placebo in women with the highest levels of estradiol. Women on Evista had about one-fifth the rate of breast cancer than the women on placebo. This indicates that Evista works to reduce breast cancer in women with this high rate of estradiol in their blood.
But the same did not hold true for women with low estradiol levels. These women already had a low risk of getting breast cancer, and Evista did not decrease the chance any further.
In this study, taking Evista for four years would have avoided 47% of breast cancers in women with high estradiol levels. For this study, high estradiol levels were considered to be any that were greater than 2.7 pg/mL, according to lead author Steven R. Cummings, MD, and colleagues. Cummings is with the University of California, San Francisco.
del.icio.us
Important Safety Information
- KAPIDEX may not be right for everyone. You should not take KAPIDEX if you are allergic to KAPIDEX or any of its ingredients. Severe allergic reactions have been reported.
- Symptom relief does not rule out other serious stomach conditions.
- The most common side effects of KAPIDEX were diarrhea (4.8%), stomach pain (4.0%), nausea (2.9%), common cold (1.9%), vomiting (1.6%), and gas (1.6%). KAPIDEX and certain other medicines can affect each other. Before taking KAPIDEX, tell your doctor if you are taking ampicillin, atazanavir, digoxin, iron, ketoconazole, or tacrolimus. If you are taking KAPIDEX with warfarin, you may need to be monitored because serious risks could occur.
Uses of KAPIDEX
- Persistent heartburn two or more days a week, despite treatment and diet changes, could be acid reflux disease (ARD). Prescription KAPIDEX capsules are used in adults to treat heartburn related to ARD, to heal acid-related damage to the lining of the esophagus (called erosive esophagitis or EE), and to stop EE from coming back. Individual results may vary. Most damage (erosions) heals in 4–8 weeks.
Talk to your doctor or healthcare professional. Please see full Prescribing Information for KAPIDEX.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
KAPIDEX™ is a trademark of Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., and is used under license by Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
LPD-00767
Sponsored
Content under this heading is from or created on behalf of the named sponsor. This content is not subject to the WebMD Editorial Policy and is not reviewed by the WebMD Editorial department for accuracy, objectivity or balance.
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
-
6
-
7
-
8
-
9
-
10
-
11
-
12
Ob-Gyn Laura Corio explains why women should not try to diagnose their own yeast infection.
