Important new research is dramatically changing the way breast cancer is treated.

KIRO-7 Eyewitness News Health Reporter Micki Flowers reveals what researchers have uncovered that is giving breast cancer patients new hope.

MORE ON THE STORY See the study in the New England Journal of Medicine E - News Sign-Up   Health Headlines More E-Mail News

The drug Tamoxifen has been the gold standard in breast cancer treatment. Patients usually take it for five years to keep cancer from recurring.

Now new research shows, after a few years on Tamoxifen, it pays to switch to a new class of cancer fighting drugs.

Nedra Hobbick found out she had breast cancer in 1998. Following surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, she took Tamoxifen to keep the cancer from coming back.

Now new research shows there's a significant pay-off for early-stage breast cancer patients who switch after 2 to 3 years on Tamoxifen to a new class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors.

Aromasin is one of these drugs. In a large international study, it produced impressive results.

Women recovering from breast cancer who switched from Tamoxifen to Aromasin were a third less likely to have their breast cancer return and half as likely to get cancer in the other breast or other cancers. Another plus was that they had less serious side effects from the drug.

Breast Cancer Specialist Dr. Georgiana Ellis says the finding will make a dramatic difference in keeping women disease free.

"To do that with drugs with better effectiveness and lower side effects is really a positive step," said Ellis.

Nedra Hobbick has already switched to an aromatase inhibitor.

The study involved women whose breast cancer is fueled by the hormone estrogen, which causes most breast cancer.