New Gel That Shrinks Breast Tumors Sans Side Effects On the Anvil

A new gel treatment for breast cancer is being developed and tested in the U.S to shrink tumors. The treatment is rubbed on to the skin daily and has far fewer unpleasant side effects than the tablet tamoxifen - the most commonly used drug in Britain.

But it contains the same active ingredient, and concentrates it in the breast rather than dispersing it around the entire body like pills do.

"We think it may be a very good solution for women who are reluctant to take tamoxifen," the Daily Mail quoted researcher Professor Seema Khan, of Northwestern University near Chicago who is testing the gel, as saying.

"Delivery through the skin means there will be very little drug circulating through the bloodstream and the body.

"It is a way to minimise exposure to the rest of the body and concentrate the drug where it is needed," she stated.

If the trials are successful then the treatment - called afimoxifene - could be available to British patients in the next three to four years.

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Source-ANI