"The treatment, which stops oestrogen production, is as effective in premenopausal women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer as chemotherapy drugs, according to a review of 16 studies involving thousands of women. But unlike chemotherapy, the oestrogen-blocking drug does not damage women's ovaries, sparing fertility."

"Following surgery to remove breast tumours, patients often receive drug therapy to keep the cancer in check and prevent a recurrence of the disease. This treatment can consist of chemotherapy or drugs such tamoxifen, either alone or in combination."

"Another follow-up treatment is a "luteinising hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist", which includes drugs such as leuprolide and goserelin."

"LHRH agonists strengthen a brain signal that subsequently stops the ovaries from producing the hormone oestrogen � essentially mimicking the effects of menopause. This is important as oestrogen appears to speed the growth of hormone-sensitive cancer."

"Jack Cuzick at the University of London in the UK and colleagues analysed the results of 16 studies involving a total of 12,000 premenopausal women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer."

"The women were monitored for an average of seven years after their initial surgeries to remove their breast tumours, during which time they received chemotherapy, tamoxifen, LHRH agonists or no follow-up drug treatment at all."

"Cuzick's team found that those women with hormone-sensitive cancers who received LHRH agonists following surgery fared just as well as those who received chemotherapy. Patients in both groups had a 30% risk of cancer recurrence and 10% risk of death five years after starting treatment."

"Importantly, when the women on LHRH agonists stopped taking the drug, they resumed regular menstruation � indicating
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