MONDAY, Dec. 14 (HealthDay News) -- In breast cancer patients, anti-estrogens may significantly reduce the risk of dying from lung cancer, according to research presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held from Dec. 9 to 13.
Elisabetta Rapiti, M.D., of the University of Geneva, and colleagues studied 6,715 patients who were diagnosed between 1980 and 2003, 46 percent of whom were treated with anti-estrogen therapy, and 40 of whom developed lung cancer during the study period.
The researchers found that the lung cancer mortality rate was significantly lower among women treated with anti-estrogen therapy than among women who were not (9.23 versus 44.97 per 100,000).
"Our results are particularly relevant to the research agenda exploring endocrine treatment(s) for lung cancer," Rapiti said in a statement. "If prospective studies confirm our results and find that anti-estrogen agents improve lung cancer outcomes, this could have substantial implications for clinical practice."
Abstract
Symposium Information
