Cheap tablets already being used by the NHS could help fight breast cancer, study finds

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 19:35 EDT, 18 July 2026 | Updated: 20:21 EDT, 18 July 2026 Cheap tablets already in use on the NHS could help prevent the spread of breast cancer, a pioneering study has found.Research has long linked an imbalance in the gut's microbiome – the collection of bacteria responsible for breaking down food – with worse breast cancer outcomes.Now researchers at the University of Virginia believe they know why – and say they may have a solution.An overgrowth of so-called 'bad' bacteria in the gut can cause a build-up of bile acid – a substance produced by the liver that is crucial for digestion and metabolism.This, in turn, can trigger harmful inflammation in the breast – ultimately fuelling the spread of cancerous cells.Experts believe that cheap drugs that can reduce levels of bile acid could also be used to slow the spread of the disease.Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, impacting nearly 60,000 women every year. A study has found drugs already being used by the NHS could help fight breast cancerIt becomes far more difficult to treat once it has spread – usually to the lymph nodes and lungs.To see how the gut can impact the spread of breast cancer, researchers ran tests on mice, then examined bile acid levels of human breast cancer patients.Patients with disease that had already spread who were given bile-suppressing medication tended to live longer.Co-author Dr Melanie Rutkowski said: 'Now we want to know if these existing drugs can prevent the cancer from spreading in the first place.'