Cabergoline may cut breast cancer risk in mothers by 70%

An international study found that cabergoline, a lactation-suppressing drug, may reduce breast cancer risk in mothers after childbirth by about 70 percent, based on health records from over 150,000 women in Spain and Norway. The findings, published in Cancer Discovery, were supported by mouse experiments where a single dose cut tumor incidence by half in mice with BRCA1 and TP53 mutations. Researchers believe the drug helps complete breast involution, the natural post-weaning cleanup process that can leave precancerous cells behind. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among younger women, often occurring in the years after pregnancy. The study's co-lead, Dr. Christopher Maxwell, noted the drug is well-tolerated with few side effects, and a clinical trial is now being planned.