Tamoxifen Seen Effective in Cutting Breast Cancer Risk
Contradicting European studies of the drug tamoxifen, American researchers now say women at high risk for breast cancer may be able to cut their risk of developing the disease by using the controversial drug.
Writing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers in a national study that looked at the effectiveness of the drug in preventing breast cancer say final results show up to a 49 percent reduction in the disease among those using tamoxifen.
Buoyed by the American study's results, researchers say it's unlikely that European studies of the drug "provided an adequate test of tamoxifen's effectiveness as a preventive agent." A U.S. regulatory panel has approved tamoxifen as a risk-reducer among certain women, but not as an agent for prevention of the disease.
The American researchers say their study indicated an increased, but not-very significant, risk of women treated with tamoxifen developing cardiovascular problems.
