How Long on Tamoxifen?
Oct. 24, 2005 — Taking the drug tamoxifen for five years instead of two years improves survival in younger women with breast cancer, according to a new Italian study. But the survival advantage didn’t show up right away and was only seen in women younger than 55 with estrogen receptor-positive cancer. Estrogen receptor-positive cancer grows when exposed to estrogen and is more responsive to antiestrogen therapy. Tamoxifen, which works as an antiestrogen, has long been a staple of breast cancer treatment. The researchers aren’t calling for any treatment changes since their study was relatively small. The report by Maurizio Belfiglio, MD, and colleagues appears in Cancer. Belfiglio works in the clinical pharmacology and epidemiology department of the Italian research institute Consorzio Mario Negri Sud.
