Health Buzz: Rare Risk of Cancer After Taking Tamoxifen and Other Health News

Study Links Tamoxifen to Rare, Aggressive Second Cancer

Tamoxifen, a drug used to prevent breast cancer recurrence, may increase the odds of a more aggressive breast cancer in women who use the drug over the long term, according to a new study in the journal Cancer Research. The study involved more than 1,100 breast cancer survivors whose tumors were estrogen sensitive. Of the group, 369 women developed a new tumor in the other, healthy breast. Researchers compared them with study participants who had not developed a second cancer.

They found that women who took tamoxifen for five years or more were 60 percent less likely to develop a new estrogen-sensitive type of breast cancer. Long-term users, however, were four times as likely to develop a rare, more aggressive breast cancer that is not sensitive to estrogen. The study’s lead author told HealthDay News he does not think women should be afraid to take the drug, stating that its benefits outweigh its risks. Tamoxifen is customarily given only for five years because there’s no evidence that longer-term use has additional benefits… more

Email Article

Email Us

Print friendly

Admin  Bio

Admin Most recent columns