History

• Doctors have been prescribing tamoxifen as treatment for men and women breast cancer patients for over 30 years, and the last 10 years it has been prescribed as a preventive measure to reduce risk.
  
  

Function

• Hormone sensitive-type cancers require estrogen to help cancer cells breed. In these cases, tamoxifen is used to hinder the normal effects estrogen would have in promoting cancer cell growth.
  
  

Time Frame

• Tamoxifen may be prescribed for different lengths of time depending on the stage of cancer and its effects in each patient, but is frequently recommended to be taken daily for five years in addition to other treatments.
  
  

Benefits

• When tamoxifen is used in the early stage of breast cancer it can prevent cancer from reappearing in the same place or somewhere else and also prevent cancer from appearing in those at an increased risk.
  
  

Warning

• Side effects that have been identified with tamoxifen include cataracts, strokes, uterine cancer, blood clots, impotence and menopausal symptoms.