Tamoxifen's preventative role
14. 03. 2011 | ecancer.org
Tamoxifen, taken by certain women as a preventive measure against breast cancer, saves lives and reduces medical costs. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society [1].
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The study's results suggest that the benefits of tamoxifen to prevent cancer can sufficiently compensate for its side effects in post-menopausal women under age 55 years who have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Research has shown that tamoxifen can protect against breast cancer for years after treatment ends, but identifying the group of women who can most benefit from the drug as a cancer preventive agent, without experiencing serious side effects, is a challenge. Side effects of the drug can include pulmonary embolism, endometrial cancer, deep vein thrombosis, and cataracts, as well as hot flashes and early menopause.
Read the whole article at ecancer.org
Reference
- Noah-Vanhoucke, J., Green, L. E. (2011). Cost-effectiveness of chemoprevention of breast cancer using tamoxifen in a postmenopausal US population Cancer DOI: 10.1002/cncr.25926
Keywords: tamoxifen, prevention, breast cancer
