A drug based on a derivative of vitamin A may help to prevent high-risk young women from developing breast cancer, doctors said on Thursday. A study presented at the Second European Breast Cancer Conference showed that the vitamin A derivative, called fenretinide, prevented a second tumor developing in young women with early breast cancer. ``The results suggest that when fenretinide is used against a background of circulating estrogen, as there is in premenopausal women, it has potential to prevent the disease,'' Dr Alberto Costa, of the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, told the conference. ``This drug could make a major impact, both as a treatment and as a primary preventive of breast cancer in younger women and, what is also important, it appears to be well tolerated,'' he added. Costa and his colleagues tested the compound on nearly 3,000 women with early breast cancer. Half were given fenretinide after surgery for five years and the other half received no further treatment. When the researchers followed up the women eight years after the initial treatment, they discovered only 27 of the younger women who had taken the compound developed a second cancer in the healthy breast and 58 in the same breast, compared to 42 and 87 in the untreated group. But when the scientists checked the results of women who were past menopause, the opposite occurred. Women who had not taken the derivative had fewer secondary cancers than those who did. Thanks to breastcancer.net Fenretinide and Safety-Long Term Results J Clin Oncol, Mar, 2001 SERMS & Retinoids as Chemoprevention Environ Mol Mutagen, 3/02 Chemoprevention with Fenretinide Current Med Res Opin, 11/02 Plasma Insulin-like Growth Factor-I/Insulin-like Growth Factor Clinical Cancer Res, 10/03 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.