We are thrilled to share some fantastic news about the impact of our project Investigating the Effectiveness of Preventative Tamoxifen.
Thanks to the preliminary data gathered in our tamoxifen research, Dr Andrew Gilmore, Dr Sacha Howell, Dr Sankari Nagarajan and Professor Sue Astley have successfully secured a prestigious Cancer Research UK Biology to Prevention grant to expand this crucial work!
Understanding Why Tamoxifen Only Works for Some
Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in UK women. While tamoxifen is an effective preventative drug for many high-risk women, it doesn’t work for everyone. Our recently completed project aimed to understand why some women benefit from tamoxifen while others don’t—an essential step towards more personalised breast cancer prevention strategies.
The preliminary research leading up to this new award, along with clinical trials run by Dr Sacha Howell, looked at women with increased risk of breast cancer who were given tamoxifen as a preventative treatment. These women had breast tissue samples taken before and after three months of treatment. These samples were then studied to see how they responded. Analysis of the breast tissue samples indicated that tamoxifen induced specific changes that could explain the reduced cancer risk. However, some women did not exhibit these changes, suggesting they may be resistant to the drug’s preventive effects.
What’s Next? A New Grant to Expand the Research
With this important discovery, the newly funded project will now take this research further. The team will use artificial intelligence to analyse mammograms, looking for patterns that can predict whether a woman will respond to tamoxifen. They will also study breast tissue samples to identify genetic markers that can identify which women will respond to tamoxifen, as well as looking for new preventative treatments for those who don’t. Together, these studies will pave the way for better, more personalised prevention strategies.
The Impact of This Work
If successful, this research could lead to:
- Better identification of women who will and won’t benefit from tamoxifen, ensuring it is only given to those who stand to gain from it.
- New preventive therapies for women who do not respond to tamoxifen, helping to reduce their breast cancer risk through alternate approaches.
This success highlights the importance of providing seed funding for smaller pilot projects. Without early investment, groundbreaking ideas like this may never get off the ground, preventing researchers from gathering the data needed to apply for larger grants and drive real change.
We are incredibly proud that the initial research we funded has led to such an exciting new phase. We look forward to sharing further updates as this work continues!
A huge thank you to all our supporters—your generosity has directly contributed to this ground breaking progress in breast cancer prevention.
About Prevent Breast Cancer
Prevent Breast Cancer is the only UK charity entirely dedicated to the prediction and prevention of breast cancer – we’re committed to freeing the world from the disease altogether. Unlike many cancer charities, we’re focused on preventing, rather than curing. Promoting early diagnosis, screening and lifestyle changes, we believe we can stop the problem before it starts. And being situated at the only breast cancer prevention centre in the UK, we’re right at the front-line in the fight against the disease. Join us today and help us create a future free from breast cancer. If you have any questions or concerns, email us today.
