Hot flushes, night sweats and painful joints are good signs for women who are on hormone – based drugs for breast cancer. The symptoms mean that the tumors are less likely to recur in these women.

According to a new study led by Jack Cuzick of Cancer Research UK, women who were taking anastrozole or tamoxifen for breast cancer and experienced menopausal like symptoms had less likelihood of recurrent tumors.

The researchers used data from 4,000 women with early-stage breast cancer. It was found that for women who developed joint symptoms after the treatment, the recurrence rate was reduced by about 41 percent. But those who developed more vasomotor symptoms, the recurrence rate decreased by 47 percent.

The research also indicated that women with any of these menopause-like symptoms after were 30 percent less likely to have their cancer return over the next nine years.

The basis of the treatment is to starve potential cancers of estrogen. This means lower levels of estrogen in the body which causes menopausal – like symptoms.  

However the researchers say, "But it is too early to say whether having these symptoms is essential for the treatment to be effective. At the moment all we can say is that the symptoms indicate the likely success of the treatment."