‘Why Breast Cancer Medicine can be Hard to Swallow’ – Café Science event on 28th April

Published On Wed 23 Apr 2014 by Grant Hill

A University of Dundee researcher will next week explore why almost one in three women affected by breast cancer do not take their medication as prescribed and the implications for their outcome.

Dr Alison Harrow, a Dundee Cancer Centre Senior Research Nurse, will discuss ‘Why Breast Cancer Medicine can be Hard to Swallow’ at the next Café Science event being held in the city. The talk takes place at Avery & Co, South Tay Street, from 7pm on Monday, 28th April.

Treatments for breast cancer that target hormone production in the body are effective in reducing the return of breast cancer in women recovering from cancer. These medicines such as Tamoxifen have been the mainstay of breast cancer management for over 30 years.

However, evidence suggests that almost one in three women do not take this medication every day over the five years it is prescribed and research has shown that slight deviations from the drug regime can increase the risks of breast cancer returning.

Dr Harrow will discuss the factors that influence whether women take the medication as prescribed or not and the role health professionals can play in supporting women in such a situation.

“Hormonal therapy medications are generally prescribed for five years and longer and the list of side effects associated with them is extensive,” she explained. “It is therefore reasonable to suspect that side effects play a major role in women’s decision to stop taking their medication every day.

“We conducted a study and asked women about their experiences of hormonal therapy. While side effects are a factor, they are far from being the whole story.”

Café Science was launched in January 2008, and has attracted in excess of 5000 visitors since then. The monthly events are informal discussions led by leading local researchers that allow members of the public the opportunity to learn more about the ground-breaking science at the Universities of Dundee, St Andrews and Abertay, the James Hutton Institute, and Dundee Science Centre.

‘Why Breast Cancer Medicine can be Hard to Swallow’ takes place at Avery & Co from 7pm on Monday, 28th April. The event is free and open to all. There is no need to book in advance but an early arrival is recommended.

More information is available at www.cafesciencedundee.co.uk.   

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