Studies: Bone drugs may help prevent breast cancer

[CatsDogsBabies]

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=106&sid=1836555

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - New results from a landmark women's health study raise the exciting possibility that bone-building drugs such as Fosamax and Actonel may help prevent breast cancer.

Women who already were using these medicines when the study began were about one-third less likely to develop invasive breast cancer over the next seven years than women not taking such pills, doctors reported Thursday.

The study is not enough to prove that these drugs, called bisphosphonates, prevent cancer. More definitive studies should give a clearer answer in a year or two.

Yet it greatly amplifies the hopeful buzz that started last year when researchers reported that a bisphosphonate cut the chances that cancer would come back in women already treated for the disease.

[tridim]

1. I hope this is true, but I'm not sure I trust a big-pharma study..

That recommends big-pharma products.

[Warpy]

5. Studies are generally done by universities

with time, underpaid grad students, and access to mountains of statistics to sift through to try to find correlations.

It might not be the action of the drugs. It might just be that such women generally have better health habits and access to care, are better informed, have better diet, and less likely to be put on HRT. All are factors that can delay the onset of cancers as well as other health problems.

In any case, whoever did the study, this data is extremely preliminary. Nothing has been proven. However, if there is an added benefit to the biphosphonate drugs that can protect our bones as we age, what's wrong with that?

[Berry Cool]

8. Nothing. Do be aware, though, that corporations make big donations to universities

and the potential exists for the research to be contaminated as a result.

That being said, I am not entirely anti-corporation or anti-pharma. I agree with you that the jury is out on this but if it turns out to have validity, well, good.

[CountAllVotes]

2. that is nice

I believe it was just yesterday that it was announced that it was rather pointless to be prescribing FOSAMAX to women that are said to have the condition "osteopenia" - a condition that a very large percentage of post-menopausal women have. It is thinning of the bones and that is what happens to most people as they age. :dunce:

Now we have another use for FOXAMAX! Hurray! :puke:

:kick:

[Deep13]

3. Why is it bad to provent bones from thinning?

:shrug:

[Warpy]

6. C'mon, you know whenever a mean old corporation produces something

and makes a buck off it, it's always assumed to be a bad thing.

Fortunately for the rest of us, stupidity is its own reward and the human herd tends to cull itself over time.

[CountAllVotes]

7. the fear is this

as you age and your bones thin, if you fall you might break your hip and end up in a nursing home for the rest of your life.

At least that is what they told me. I have osteopenia and they are now treating me with massive doses of Vitamin D. I honestly cannot say that I can tell any difference and if I had my way, I wouldn't bother with it. I think it is the latest panacea to fix all that might be wrong with a person. In other words Vitamin D and also Foxamax (IMO mind you) are both piles o'sh*t.

:kick:

[Deep13]

4. Cool. Let's see how it goes in clinical testing. nt