Re: Gynaecological effects of tamoxifen
- 1Department of Medical Affairs, Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, 1800 Concord Pike, PO Box 15437, Wilmington, DE 19850–5437, USA
I am writing in response to the article “Gynaecological effects of tamoxifen” by Sezgin M Ismail.1 The article reviews the current knowledge on gynaecological side effects by summarising studies measuring cervical, endometrial, uterine, and ovarian effects in women taking tamoxifen.
Ismail cites a small study of 16 women and implies a relation between ovarian cancer and tamoxifen use. In fact, the literature suggests that the incidence of ovarian cancer in women on tamoxifen is not increased and might even be lower than in women not on tamoxifen.2–6 In the national surgical adjuvant breast and bowel project P-1 (NSABP P-1) trial, there were 11 ovarian cancers in the placebo arm and 10 ovarian cancers in the tamoxifen arm.7
The author states that there is still uncertainty with regard to the aggressiveness of endometrial cancers …
