Mifepristone's Untapped Potential: Breast Cancer Prevention Breakthrough Hindered by Stigma

According to an international group of doctors and scientists, the drug mifepristone, which is used in medical abortions, could potentially help prevent women at high risk of breast cancer from developing the disease. However, the experts claim that the "stigma" around mifepristone is preventing pharmaceutical companies from investigating its potential as a new treatment option.

The opinion piece, published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women's Health, states that companies appear reluctant to carry out trials on mifepristone, despite the fact that three previous studies have found the drug shows promise in slowing down the growth of cancerous cells. The experts argue that mifepristone's role in medical abortions and the restricted access to abortion in some countries are hindering the much-needed research.

Breast cancer is the most common female cancer globally, killing an estimated 670,000 women each year. The experts say that if proven effective, mifepristone could provide a non-surgical option for women at high risk, such as those with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene variants, who are currently offered surgical treatments or drugs of "low efficacy."

The authors of the opinion piece are calling for drug companies to seriously investigate mifepristone's potential in breast cancer care and for governments to ease regulations that restrict its use to abortion procedures. They believe the "time is long overdue" to give mifepristone the opportunity it deserves to be explored as a primary prevention option for breast cancer.