A team from Montpellier is conducting a study to test the effectiveness of anti-aromatases in preventing hereditary breast cancer.
Angelina Jolie revealed on Tuesday that she had undergone a double mastectomy. The actress is the carrier of a defective gene which increases her risk of developing breast cancer An announcement that has stirred both the celebrity sphere and the medical world. Indeed, this heavy operation consists of the removal of both breasts. One in three Americans chooses this option. But in France, the use of surgery remains exceptional: less than 5% of women resort to it.
Between the radical method proposed in the United States and the active surveillance set up in French centers, a drug alternative could well emerge.
A study is currently being carried out by Prof. Pascal Pujol’s team at the Montpellier University Hospital. Research focuses on the preventive effects of anti-aromatases. Already used in the treatment of breast cancer, these molecules act on the hormonal factor by suppressing the action of estrogen on breast cancer cells. The trial developed in Montpellier is aimed at women carrying defective genes. The study compared two groups, one that received anti-aromatases and the other a placebo. Researchers are halfway through inclusions and results are expected within a year or two.
Listen to Prof. Pascal Pujol, oncologist at the Montpellier University Hospital: ” Anti-aromatases will suppress the action of estrogen on breast cancer cells. They have been used for more than 10 years with success in the treatment of these cancers ”.
But while awaiting the results, Professor Pascal Pujol’s team has high hopes for this avenue of research because anti-aromatases have already proven their effectiveness in preventing breast cancer for certain women at risk. A trial in which the Montpellier University Hospital took part was already carried out in 2011 on 4,000 women with a lower family risk than that linked to genetics. These women had a risk related to age, but also to a family history and benign breast lesions. Result: a 65% reduction in the risk of developing breast cancer thanks to this drug alternative.
Listen to Prof. Pascal Pujol, oncologist at the Montpellier University Hospital: ” the results in 2011 were extremely significant “.
Finally, Prof. Pascal Pujol stresses that these anti-aromatases have few side effects, only a few joint pains have been observed and the probability of having these effects is only 5%. In addition, these inhibitors do not cause cardiovascular morbidity or incidents of new cancers.
.
