In the recent discovery cough medicine can be brought in use as a “probe” to detect the women who are suffering from breast cancer.

The drug can help detect altered metabolism with the presence of drug tamoxifen, as recommended by an abstract which comes with the 22nd EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics.

With the advent of this discovery investigators, can now personalize the testing.

Tamoxifen – is mainly used in cure and prevention of breast cancer- is metabolised by CYP2D6 and CYP3A into endoxifen, the active metabolite which helps its anticancer activity. Widespread changes in toxication levels and worth of tamoxifen results in causing variations and aids in developing more amount of concentrated endoxifen amidst patients which are very much characterized by genetic profiles, co-medications and life style factors.

In the current study, Anne-Joy de Grann and colleagues from Erasmus Medical Centre findings showed a connection with the clearance of dextromethorphan and endoxifen (r=-0.72, p=0.0001).

De Grann said, “Tamoxifen is prescribed to women for as much as five years in the adjuvant setting, so it is highly important to know beforehand if the therapy is going to be effective. When it is known that a woman metabolises tamoxifen poorly, a switch in drugs or an increase in dose can be considered.”