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Introduction to Breast Cancer and Chemoprevention
Risk Reduction
Mammograms

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy in women in the world. Although major advances have been made in early detection and treatment, there are approximately the same numbers of women dying from breast cancer today as there were over 100 years ago.

For so many women, there is no more dreaded disease than breast cancer. The mere words breast cancer elicits fears related to loss of body image and sexuality, surgery, and even death. As is the case for most cancers, the exact cause of breast cancer is not clearly known. Furthermore, there is currently no cure for advanced disease, and there is no definitive way of preventing it. However, compared to other cancers, breast cancer is on the more treatable end of the spectrum if diagnosed early.

It is considered a "favourable" cancer because it can be detected early by breast examination, mammography or other means and is often relatively slow to develop when compared with other cancers.

In addition, our knowledge of how breast cancer develops is expanding rapidly. As a result, new medications are being developed to reduce the risk of breast cancer. In addition, it is widely held that for the majority of women, lifestyle changes, a healthy diet, exercise and weight reduction are able to reduce the chance of developing breast cancer. Even given these advancements, to date, the most important strategies in improving survival are still breast cancer screening and early detection coupled with the control of pre-malignant or early stage, breast cancers by chemo prevention techniques.

By definition, cancer chemoprevention is the administration of a chemical agent, either natural or synthetic, which is designed to reduce the risk, or to block, delay, or even reverse the progression of the disease and prevent it from becoming clinically relevant.

Beta Pharmaceutical Limited and its joint venture partner are committed to the research and commercial development of products and therapies for managing breast cancer based on chemoprevention.

A rigorous programme of scientific research using purified isomers of tocotrienols, an organic phytonutrient found in palm oil was initiated by the Company in early 2008. Earlier work performed by the laboratories involved in the current programme in vitro and in animal studies indicates that tocotrienols are able to protect cells against the effects of carcinogens, suppress tumour growth and reduces the toxicity of several anticancer therapies. Most often, the prescribed therapy kills cancer cells but also harms healthy cells as well. Meanwhile, the studies conducted by our scientific team to date have shown that tocotrienols are able to induce apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells and also lessen the harm done to healthy cells. Against this background, management believes products and therapies for breast cancer can be developed using palm tocotrienols which does not have the severe side effects of some of the current treatments and/or involve major disfigurative surgery.