• HOME
• ABOUT US
• INVESTOR CENTRE
  • Reports
  • Media
  • Powerpoint Summary
  • Photo Gallery
• Cancer Chemoprevention
  • Introduction to Breast Cancer and Chemoprevention
  • Research Team
• CORPORATE DIRECTORY
  • Directors
  • Corporate Information
• Global Market
  • Risk Reduction
  • Mammograms
• CONTACT US

Introduction to Breast Cancer and Chemoprevention
Risk Reduction
Mammograms

Breast cancer risks are many involving individual factors - for example, growing older, personal history of breast cancer or family history of breast cancer - prolonged exposure to estrogen, changes in breast cellular structure which a person may go through, and a host of factors possibly related to your environment such as smoking, diet and stress. The following points emerge strongly from the available data:

• All women are at risk for breast cancer as well as a small percentage of men
• Risk increases with age
• In the economically-developed world roughly 1 in every 7 women will get breast cancer over a 90 year life span
• There are ways to reduce breast cancer risk

Clearly, breast cancer risk can be reduced by early detection. For example, a recent review of all previous studies of screening mammography found that it will prolong the life of 1 in every 2,000 women who have regular mammograms for 10 years.

Also, women with small tumours (10 mm or less) have a much better chance of beating their cancer compared to those found with tumours larger than 30 mm – the clear implication is find it when it is small.

While a significant proportion of the population takes a cholesterol lowering tablet each day (statins) to reduce heart disease, it is intriguing that it is not a practice which is not adopted in the case of breast cancers, or cancers generally. Even given that prescribing existing breast cancer treatments such as tamoxifen or raloxifene is now possible on a daily basis over an extended period of time, the associated cost clearly makes this an option for only the wealthiest few.

The focus of Beta Pharmaceutical Limited and its joint venture partner is to be able – through research and development work which is currently occurring at the University of Louisiana at Monroe in the United States – to introduce to the global market following the completion of relevant clinical trials a chemopreventive therapy for breast cancer which would be taken on a regular daily basis and marketed at an affordable price targeted towards the everyday consumer.

When such a product is available, consumers will truly have a much greater control in the prevention and management of this debilitating disease.