Should I stay on tamoxifen for 10 years?

Should I stay on tamoxifen for 10 years?

A recent study published in the British Journal of Medicine indicated clear evidence that 10 years of tamoxifen therapy does reduce local recurrence and improve breast cancer-free survival. However, it also reported that extended use (10 years rather than five) was linked with a two-fold increase in endometrial cancer.

How many years should you take tamoxifen?

Most people take tamoxifen or other hormone therapy for at least five years and sometimes up to 10 years. Treatment length depends on the features of your cancer diagnosis. Your healthcare provider may recommend taking tamoxifen for five years and then switching to different hormone therapy for several more years.

Do you have to take tamoxifen for the rest of your life?

For breast cancer prevention, people are usually advised to take tamoxifen for five years. It’s also prescribed for five years for most patients with early stage, low-risk estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. For those at higher risk, it can be taken as long as 10 years.

Can you take tamoxifen forever?

Differences in both overall survival and deaths from breast cancer also favored the longer duration of tamoxifen treatment for up to 12 years after treatment. The benefits of 5 years of tamoxifen were seen in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

What happens to your body when you stop taking tamoxifen?

Blood clots in your veins or lungs. These can occur for up to 2–3 months after you stop taking tamoxifen. Symptoms can include: sudden chest pain. shortness of breath.

What are the long term effects of taking tamoxifen?

The meta-analysis also confirmed that tamoxifen increases risks of uterine cancer and of blood clots in the lungs. With a mean follow-up of 10 years, among women with ER-positive breast cancer, nine women who received tamoxifen died of uterine cancer, compared with one woman who did not receive tamoxifen.

Can you take tamoxifen for 15 years?

Breast cancer: Taking hormonal drugs for up to 15 years can reduce risk – study. Taking hormonal drugs for up to 15 years reduces the risk of breast cancers coming back, a landmark study suggests.

Why you should not take tamoxifen?

Tamoxifen may cause hot flashes and increase the risk of blood clots and stroke. Aromatase inhibitors may cause muscle and joint aches and pains. Less common but more severe side effects of aromatase inhibitors are heart problems, osteoporosis, and broken bones.

What are the long term effects of tamoxifen?

Tamoxifen can have side effects, including hot flashes, fatigue, and an increased risk of blood clots and endometrial cancer….Ten Years of Tamoxifen Reduces Breast Cancer Recurrences, Improves Survival.

5 Years 10 Years
Risk of Recurrence 25.1 percent 21.4 percent