Women with ER-positive breast Ca may soon extend tamoxifen therapy to 10 years
A new study confirms that 10 years of tamoxifen significantly lowers the breast cancer mortality rate during the second decade after diagnosis, compared with 5 years of therapy
Side effects were more common among postmenopausal women
Although tamoxifen has some side effects, they had a relatively small net effect on survival. The most significant effect was an increased risk—among postmenopausal women—of endometrial cancer. However, the excess risk of dying of endometrial cancer by year 15 was only 0.2% (0.4% among women who continued tamoxifen to 10 years vs 0.2% in the control group).
Investigators found no evidence that tamoxifen increases the risk of stroke, despite the fact that the US Food and Drug Administration lists stroke as a possible side effect of the drug.
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