New research on the drug known as anastrozole, which is already being used to fight recurrence in those who've suffered from breast cancer before, suggests it could halve the risk faced by post-menopausal women.

In a study of 3,800 women with a family history of the disease, the drug was found to reduce incidence by 53 percent. And unlike other drugs currently used for the same purpose, the side effects of anastrozole were less severe.

But not all doctors agreed that women would potentially benefit from this treatment, simply because that would mean having to endure the side effects of the drug (hot flashes, joint pain).

“Asking women to take a daily pill to prevent breast cancer is a hard sell, particularly when there is an undertow of other concerns that arise with taking the pill,” said Dr. Michael Fisch, chair of medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

[ABC News]