Is Tamoxifen Effective In Curing Breast Cancer?

Is Tamoxifen Effective In Curing Breast Cancer?
By Camry James

Tamoxifen, known in the trade as Nolvadex, is usually
prescribed by specialists in and is taken in pill
form. A patient will stay on the drug for about five years.

Often the woman's cancer will be tested to see if it is
sensitive to the amount of oestrogen in the system. If the
cancer is oestrogen sensitive, tamoxifen will be given.

Because tamoxifen is such a weak estrogen, its estrogen signals
don't stimulate very much cell growth. And because it has stolen
the place away from more powerful estrogen, it blocks
estrogen-stimulated cancer cell growth. In this way, tamoxifen
acts like an "anti-estrogen."

Tamoxifen may also take the place of natural estrogen in the
receptors of healthy breast cells. In that way it holds down
growth activity, and possibly stops abnormal growth and the
development of a totally new breast cancer. By blocking natural
estrogen from getting to the receptors, tamoxifen is helpful in
reducing the risk of in women at high risk who
have never had breast cancer. It also can help women who have
already had in one breast by lowering the risk of
a new forming in the other breast.

One study found that radiation plus tamoxifen was much better
than tamoxifen alone at reducing the risk of breast cancer
coming back after a lumpectomy in women with
hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. This was true even for
women with very small cancers.

For pre-menopausal women,

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tamoxifen is the best hormonal
therapy. But tamoxifen is no longer the first choice for
post-menopausal women. If you've been on tamoxifen for two to
three years and now you're in menopause, your doctor may
recommend that you switch to an aromatase inhibitor to finish
your five years of hormonal therapy. However, you can still get
a lot of benefit if you take tamoxifen for up to five years and
then switch to an aromatase inhibitor.

Tamoxifen was first used to fight at the Christie
Hospital in Manchester, England, in 1969. It has since proved
its worth as means of stopping the spread or recurrence of the
disease in women who have already been treated for it.

But, it was noticed back in the early 1980s that some women who
were receiving the drug for cancer in one breast did not develop
any tumorous growth in the other. This prompted the suggestion
that Tamoxifen might have another preventative role for those
women who are at risk of getting but have yet to
develop any signs of the disease.

About the Author: Tamoxifen has been proven to be the cure to
Breast Cancer. We urge you to find out more about Tamoxifen at
http://Tamoxifen.eask.info

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