Researchers Question Tamoxifen Use
July 5, 2001
Scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center released a study today that questions the safety of the widely used breast cancer drug tamoxifen. The study, which was published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggests that women who take tamoxifen and suffer from a reoccurrence of cancer, may have a more difficult time treating the second cancer than women who never took the drug.
Tamoxifen is often given to women suffering from breast cancer in an effort to prevent the development of cancer in the patient's other breast. Statistics show that tamoxifen reduces such development by almost 35%. The researchers in the present study discovered that women unfortunate enough to develop cancer in the once unaffected breast, and who had also taken tamoxifen to prevent such development, were more likely to suffer from aggressive and difficult to treat tumors.
Experts recommend that women prescribed tamoxifen continue with the drug unless otherwise advised by a doctor. In addition, the researchers acknowledge that further study needs to be completed before any significant conclusion is reached about the safety and efficacy of tamoxifen.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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