New drugs in breast cancer fight

Women with breast cancer in its early stages have been given new hope after doctors hailed two new drugs as "important weapons" in the fight against the disease.

Studies suggest they could save the lives of thousands and both work better than tamoxifen, the current frontline treatment for women with advanced tumours.

The first trial of 9,366 postmenopausal women with early breast cancer - 3,000 of them from Britain - showed the risk of suffering a relapse was cut by 20 per cent. Scientists believe arimidex, taken daily, could be the biggest step forward in two decades.

Professor Michael Baum, of University College Hospital, London, who led the five-year study said arimidex produced fewer of the side effects associated-with tamoxifen, which can include blood clots.

Presenting the results in San Antonio, Texas, Professor Baum said: "This advance is as important for women fighting early breast cancer as the advent of tamoxifen was 20 years ago. The findings may support the use of arimidex, rather than tamoxifen as the future treatment of choice. We know it can give better results for women."

The second trial centred on the drug, letrozole, for patients with advanced breast tumours.

Professor Jack Cuzick, of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, said the results were exciting but warned: "These findings are at an early stage and we need to be cautious."