How protective is tamoxifen?
Breast cancer is a leading threat to women’s health. Tamoxifen, the most successful selective estrogen receptor modulator, has been used in hormonal therapy for three decades. Along with its therapeutic effect on breast cancer, tamoxifen also demonstrates potential benefits for bone health. However, the extent and quality of such benefits have not been systematically evaluated. We conducted a comprehensive literature search and identified 27 peer-reviewed articles investigating the relationship between tamoxifen and bone health in postmenopausal women with early stage breast cancer. The majority of studies reported that tamoxifen therapy alone protected against the loss of spinal bone mineral density. The bones in the hip also benefited from tamoxifen treatment while there was no evidence demonstrating tamoxifen’s protection against bone loss in arms. When tamoxifen was combined with chemotherapy, it was found to partially prevent or reverse the bone loss resulting from chemotherapy. P
