Drugs Tamoxifen and Raloxifene May Help Healthy Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer

For women who are at a high risk for breast cancer, certain drugs may be a good option to start earlier in life, according to researchers.

Drugs including tamoxifen or raloxifene, despite the possibility of complicated side-effects, could create help for women throughout the country.

The drugs work by blocking the effects of estrogen in breast tissue, lowering the chance of hormone-related cancers. But they also increase the risk of blood clots and hot flashes, among other side effects - so they shouldn't be handed out to everyone, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) said in its new draft guidelines.

"Currently only a minority of women for whom the medication might be indicated are actually taking it," said Dr. Mark Ebell according to Reuters, a member of the Task Force from the University of Georgia College of Public Health in Athens. "I don't think there's a right or wrong answer for women.The main thing is just for women to be aware of this as an option and to talk to their doctor if they think they might be at increased risk."

Women are considered at high risk if they have a five-year chance of developing breast cancer of at least one in 60. Tools such as the Gail model take into account a woman's age, race, personal history of breast exams and family history of cancer to estimate her own risk of breast cancer.

A review conducted for the USPSTF and published concurrently found tamoxifen (marketed as Nolvadex and Soltamox) and raloxifene (Evista) decreased women's chances of developing breast cancer by 30 to 56 percent. However, both drugs also doubled the risk of blood clots, a common side-effect of the product, and tamoxifen increased the chance of endometrial cancer and cataracts, according to findings published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The review did not include studies that focused on women with breast-cancer related BRCA gene mutations.

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime and 1 in 36 will die of the disease.

Researchers caution that those who are at a high risk for breast cancer need to weigh the benefits and risks of using possible medications to lower the potential possibility.