"Antihormonal Drugs Reducing Breast Cancer Recurrence Pose No Risk of Depression"

Professor Yoon Chan-ik's Team at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital

Professor Changik Yoon, Department of Breast Surgery, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] A study has found no significant correlation between the use of anti-hormonal drugs taken by breast cancer patients to prevent recurrence and depression.

Professor Yoon Chang-ik's team from the Breast Surgery Department at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University, announced on the 13th that their research on the occurrence of depression and suicide risk associated with anti-hormonal therapy in breast cancer surgery patients confirmed this finding.

The research team conducted a study using data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, targeting 11,109 patients who took anti-hormonal drugs over 14 years and 6,615 patients who did not. As a result, there was no statistical difference in the risk of depression diagnosis or suicide risk based on whether the drugs were taken or not.

Hormone receptor-positive breast cancer is a type of breast cancer in which cancer cells proliferate by utilizing estrogen, a representative female hormone. After breast cancer surgery, hormone suppression therapy for 5 to 10 years to reduce recurrence is the current standard treatment. Hormone-positive breast cancer accounts for 70-80% of all breast cancers and is confirmed through tissue biopsy.

The greatest advantage of hormone therapy is that it reduces the recurrence rate of frequently recurring breast cancer by one-third. Compared to chemotherapy, hormone therapy is better in terms of quality of life. Depending on the patient's condition after surgery, hormone therapy and chemotherapy may be combined, so it is important to consult with the attending physician and choose the optimal treatment method for the patient.

Professor Yoon explained, "Regular intake of anti-hormonal drugs is essential to reduce the recurrence rate in breast cancer, and this study is meaningful in that it can alleviate excessive concerns about this."

The results of this study were published in the September issue of the international journal Frontiers in Oncology (Impact Factor 5.738).

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