Two cups of coffee against breast cancer recurrence
Published on 3/5/2013
For patients taking Tamoxifen, a valuable contribution to reducing the risk of breast cancer recurrence appears to come from the habitual consumption of at least 2 or 3 cups of coffee a day.
This is the finding of a study conducted by researchers at Sweden's Lund University and published in the journal Cancer causes&control, according to which women who had drunk at least 2 cups of coffee a day in combination with drug treatment with Tamoxifen showed, at the end of the follow-up period, less than half the recurrences compared with patients who did not drink coffee.
This is empirical evidence, the Lund University researchers explain, because there is currently no scientific explanation as to why coffee consumption produces this result. Dr Maria Simonsson, the research coordinator, proposes a theory that the team will now seek to test: that coffee serves to enhance the action of tamoxifen.
The study lasted over 5 years and examined a sample of 600 patients, of whom 300 were treated with tamoxifen, in whom the positive effect of coffee consumption could be observed.
Dr Maria Simonsson and colleagues observed this effect in over 600 oncology patients with breast cancer, following their progress for an average of 5 years.
Around 300 patients took Tamoxifen during the follow-up period. This drug is prescribed precisely to reduce the possibility of new tumours forming. It is a hormone-based therapy that blocks oestrogen receptors.
The difference in risk was therefore clearly evident; however, the reason why drinking coffee reduces this risk of recurrence is not currently known.
Hypotheses? "One theory we are reasoning about and working on", Simonsson explains in this regard in the Lund statement, "is that coffee 'activates' Tamoxifen and makes it more efficient".
Coffee's ability to reduce the risk of developing certain forms of breast cancer had already been observed previously by the Lund researchers; in addition, caffeine has also been shown to hinder the growth of cancer cells.
Given the results, the researchers stress the need to study the role of coffee in cancer prevention and treatment in greater depth.