Drinking two cups of coffee a day could halve the risk of breast cancer returning, a study found. A cancer-killing cocktail of the hormone drug tamoxifen and two coffees every day was found to reduce the risk of tumours returning by 50 per cent in women recovering from the disease, researchers said. Tamoxifen kills off cancer cells or stunts their growth by blocking the cancer-causing hormone oestrogen from reaching diseased cells. Women who have suffered from breast cancer can slash the chances of the cancer returning by half - if they enjoy two cups of coffee a day, as well as taking hormone drug tamoxifen (picture posed by model) It is the main drug given to women who have not been through the menopause, and is usually taken for five years or longer after breast cancer treatment. And when combined with two cups coffee, it can be even more effective, according to a study of 1,090 breast cancer patients by British and Swedish researchers at Lund University, Sweden. Their findings found that women who had been treated with tamoxifen - and those that had drunk at least two cups of coffee a day - had only half the risk of their cancer returning than those who drank less coffee, or none at all. Ann Rosendahl, a researcher from Lund University who carried out the study, said: ‘The study also shows that those who drank at least two cups of coffee a day had smaller tumours and a lower proportion of hormone-dependent tumours. ‘We saw that this was already the case at the time of diagnosis.’ The study also found that breast cancer cells react with caffeine and caffeic acid, which are both found in the hot drink. Caffeine caused the cells to divide less frequency - and die more often - especially when it was drunk in combination with tamoxifen. Mrs Rosendahl said: ‘This shows that these substances have an effect on the breast cancer cells and turn off signalling pathways that the cancer cells require to grow.’ Researches found caffeine causes breast cancer cells to divide less frequently and divide more often . Taking prescribed medicine is still vitally important to treating cancer, clinicians have stressed . Despite their findings, the study’s researchers were keen to stress the importance of prescribed medication in treating cancer . ‘They are incredibly important, but if you like coffee and are also taking tamoxifen, there is no reason to stop drinking it. Just two cups a day is sufficient to make a difference,’ Mrs Rosendahl said. Previous studies have found that drinking coffee could reduce the risk of cancer in heavy drinkers. And the World Cancer Research Fund believe the hot drink can protect against liver cancer, which is often associated with alcohol abuse. Experts from the Harvard Medical School have also found that women who drink three or more cups of coffee a day have a 20 per cent lower risk of developing skin cancer, compared with those who had less than one a month . Responding to the study, Jackie Harris, clinical nurse specialist at Breast Cancer Care, said: ‘Though this is an interesting study much more research is needed before we can fully understand the effects coffee and caffeine can have on tumour growth or risk of recurrence. ‘Making small changes, like maintaining a healthy weight and taking regular exercise, can help reduce the risk of breast cancer returning.'
Researchers tested effects of caffeine on patients taking Tamoxifen.
Combination of prescription drug and coffee make 'cancer-killing cocktail'
Caffeine makes breast cancer cells divide less quickly and die more often.