Prevention Medicines | Comprehensive Breast Care Surgeons

Prevention Medicines

Breast Cancer Medicine Prevention

The Breast Cancer Prevention Trial determined that taking tamoxifen for at least 5 years can prevent breast cancer in women who have never been diagnosed with breast cancer but who are at increased risk of developing the disease. This study found a reduction in diagnoses of invasive breast cancer among women who took tamoxifen for 5 years. Women who took tamoxifen also had fewer diagnoses of noninvasive breast tumors, such as DCIS or LCIS. After 7 years of follow-up, researchers found similar results. The study found that tamoxifen reduced the occurrence of estrogen receptor-positive tumors by 69 percent, but no difference in the occurrence of estrogen receptor-negative tumors was seen.

Should you take tamoxifen to reduce breast cancer risk?

The decision to take tamoxifen is an individual one. You and your doctor must carefully consider the benefits and risks of taking this medicine. At this time, there is no evidence that tamoxifen has a net benefit for women who do not have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

How does raloxifene (Evista) compare to Tamoxifen?

Evista is a drug approved by the FDA for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Raloxifene is also approved by the FDA for reducing the risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and in postmenopausal women at high risk for invasive breast cancer.

The NCI funded the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR), a clinical trial comparing raloxifene (Evista®) with tamoxifen in preventing breast cancer in postmenopausal women who are at an increased risk of developing the disease. <Dr DuPree is a principal investigator for this trial locally>. The study found that raloxifene and tamoxifen are equally effective in reducing invasive breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women who are at increased risk of the disease.

The study also found that women who took raloxifene had fewer uterine cancers and fewer blood clots than the women who took tamoxifen. However, raloxifene did not reduce the risk of noninvasive breast tumors such as DCIS and LCIS. Other side effects associated with raloxifene were similar to tamoxifen and included hot flashes, vaginal dryness, joint pain, and leg cramps. Studies of raloxifene to date have only examined its role in breast cancer prevention, not treatment.

More information visit STAR .