Over the years there has been growing evidence that tamoxifen induces tumor growth in the lining of the uterus (or endometrium). In a recent study many of the women who developed irregular vaginal bleeding due to tamoxifen therapy were found also to have small noncancerous growths or polyps of the uterine lining. A number of them went on to develop tumors of the endometrium.Although many physicians consider the incidence of tamoxifen-induced uterine tumors to be small, there is still a significant risk. In one clinical study evaluating 46 nonhysterectomized postmenopausal women receiving tamoxifen for 6 to 36 months, 13 patients developed noncancerous growths or polyps, 8 had thickening of the uterine lining, and 2 developed cancer of the endometrium.The incidence of uterine tumors appears to increase with higher doses of tamoxifen. With the usual dose of 10 mg twice daily, an incidence of 0.17 percent was reported, while patients receiving 20 mg of tamoxifen twice daily had an incidence nearly ten times higher (1.2 percent).Although surgical hysterectomy can be performed once a tumor develops in the uterus, new evidence suggests that the types of tumors that develop while a woman is taking tamoxifen are extremely aggressive. Women who develop uterine cancers induced by tamoxifen therapy may be more likely to die from uterine cancer than those who spontaneously develop this form of cancer.*35\320\2*
Saturday, July 02nd, 2011 | Author: admin
Category: Cancer
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