Learning About Chemoprevention

Chemoprevention is treatment to help prevent cancer. You might use medicine, vitamins, or supplements. This treatment also may stop cancer from coming back. And it can help people who have a high risk of cancer. This might be due to their health history or genetics. Family history also plays a role.

There are three main types:

• Primary. It prevents cancer in people who have a high risk.
• Secondary. It stops cells from becoming cancer.
• Tertiary. It stops cancer from coming back.

For now, it's mostly used to help prevent breast cancer. Some studies show that it might also help prevent colon and prostate cancers.

In most cases, you’ll take medicines for a long time. It may be for 5 to 10 years. The type of medicine depends on the type of cancer you’re trying to prevent.

The most common prevention medicines for breast cancer are called selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs). SERMs block the effects of estrogen, a female hormone, on breast tissue to help prevent breast cancer. Examples of SERMs are tamoxifen and raloxifene.

Aromatase inhibitors are another medicine that might help prevent breast cancer. They lower the amount of estrogen in the body. This can help prevent breast cancer, or stop it from coming back, in people who have gone through menopause. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t yet approved aromatase inhibitors for chemoprevention. But these medicines are approved to treat existing breast cancer.

Studies are being done to find out more about using chemoprevention to help prevent colon cancer. Some studies have found that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like aspirin, can help prevent colon cancer.

NSAIDs can be an option for some people at high risk of getting colon cancer. For other people, the risks of taking NSAIDs long-term outweigh the benefits. Taking NSAIDs for a long time may cause serious side effects like bleeding, especially in older adults. That’s why experts don’t recommend NSAIDs for prevention for people who are not at high risk.

Studies are being done on the effects of certain medicines, vitamins, and supplements on prostate cancer. They have looked at medicines called finasteride and dutasteride. But it's not known yet if they lower the risk of dying from prostate cancer. At the moment, there's no approved chemoprevention treatment for prostate cancer.

Like any treatment, chemoprevention can have side effects. Some of them can be serious. Your doctor can help you decide if it's right for you.

For some people at high risk of cancer, the benefits may outweigh the risks. Others may choose another way to manage their risk. These may include screenings and healthy life changes.