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At-risk women to be offered breast cancer drug by NHS
June 25, 2013
The NHS is set to offer thousands of at-risk women drugs to help prevent the disease.
The NHS is set to offer thousands of women across the UK with a family history of breast cancer drugs to help prevent the disease.
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), tamoxifen and raloxifene taken daily for five years could cut the risk of developing breast cancer by as much as 40 percent.
This means that an estimated 500,000 women in England and Wales now have a choice other than a mastectomy or extra screening, BBC News reports.
Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy last month to reduce the risk of developing the disease later in life.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK, with an estimated 50,000 women and 400 men diagnosed each year.
Breast nurse specialist and member of the NICE guidelines development group Susan Herd told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Tamoxifen is not an expensive drug and I think the healthcare professionals are very familiar with the drug and that experience can be passed on to our patients."
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