What is Tamoxifen, how does the breast cancer drug work, what are the side effects and what has Jacquie Beltrao said?
TAMOXIFEN is prescribed to breast cancer patients to block oestrogen – the hormone which helps fuel the disease.
Let’s take a closer look at the drug.
What is Tamoxifen?
Tamoxifen is a hormone therapy drug which is prescribed to breast cancer patients.
It is given to both pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women.
It is also the most common treatment for men with the disease.
The drug is also used for infertility and gynecomastia, which sees a non-cancerous increase in the size of male breast tissue.
How does Tamoxifen work?
The drug blocks the effects of oestrogen on the entire body’s hormone receptors.
Oestrogen can stimulate breast cancer to grow in the body.
Tamoxifen is only prescribed to patients whose cancer has receptors within the cell that bind to oestrogen, according to .
The benefits of hormone therapy on people whose cancers do not have receptors is less clear – however, very few breast cancers fall into this category.
Tamoxifen costs just 6p a day and can cut the chance of the disease by a third.
In April, a study suggested that just one in seven women eligible to take the cheap breast cancer prevention pill are doing so.
Experts estimate about 500,000 higher-risk women - those with a family history of the disease or a faulty gene - could benefit from the drug.
But a survey of 258 by the University of Leeds found only 14.7 per cent were taking tamoxifen.
Many believed cancer was "down to fate", while others said they did not want to take medication while they were well.
Researcher Dr Samuel Smith said: "It's important doctors can discuss women's concerns and provide information to help them while they are considering their options."
Breast cancer is just as likely to recur even 20 years after a diagnosis, according to data which suggests women need to stay on drugs such as tamoxifen for longer.
What are the side effects of Tamoxifen?
Here is a list of the most comment side effects. For more detailed advice on the drug, please contact your GP or ask a pharmacist.
- Menopausal symptoms – including loss of sex drive, night sweats, sleep disturbance and hot flushes
- Effects on periods – the drug could change the time of your period or stop it altogether
- Fluid retention – this may result in weight gain
- Vaginal discharge – a common symptom of taking the drug
- Indigestion or nausea – common at the start of treatment
MORE BREAST CANCER NEWS
What did Jacquie Beltrao say about Tamoxifen?
In December 2017, Sky News presenter Jacquie Beltrao described the “irritating” side effects she had on Tamoxifen while describing it as a “life-saver”.
The sports journalist, who underwent treatment for breast cancer when she was pre-menopausal, said she suffered horrendous night sweats and lack of sleep because of the drug.
She said the hot flushes were like “being plunged fully clothed into a sauna”
Jacquie admitted she would turn up to work after having only a few hours sleep and found it hard to concentrate while using the hormone therapy drug.
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