Elaine Pollington, from Ferndown, trialled the new drugs

The drugs, used in Bournemouth, were found to cut the risk of a relapse by a third in post-menopausal women who had had two to three years of therapy.

A Royal Bournemouth Hospital consultant said the decision to make the drugs available on the NHS was "momentous".

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) released its guidance for the drugs on Wednesday.

The decision to make these medications available on the NHS is momentous for all affected women Tony Skene, consultant breast surgeon

Aromastase inhibitors (AIs) are licensed to treat the early stages of the most common form of breast cancer, which affects about 33,000 women a year.

The drugs, which have been available to patients in Scotland for a year, have been hailed as one of the most cost-effective treatments available.

Research carried out by NICE showed that by switching to exemestane, a type of AI, after two to three years of tamoxifen treatment the risk of cancer returning can be reduced by nearly a third.

It can also cut the chance of cancer occurring in the other breast by a half.

'Great news'

Tony Skene, consultant breast surgeon at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, said: "The decision to make these medications available on the NHS is momentous for all affected women and for those involved in the management of women with breast cancer in the UK."

Elaine Pollington, from Ferndown, is one of those who took part in the trial and was treated with the exemestane drug Aromasin.

She told BBC News: "I feel really well now. I think it's great news and I'm sure it will help a lot of people in the future."