The Science Corner

A 15-year follow-up of women in a breast cancer trial has found that fenretinide -- a drug related to vitamin A -- significantly cuts the risk of a second breast cancer among younger patients. The Italian research team reporting the findings on-line (Thursday 4 May) in Annals of Oncology, are sufficiently convinced of the drug's protective potential to call for a trial to test its use as a preventive in pre-menopausal healthy women at high risk of the disease.