Longer Tamoxifen Use Cuts Breast Cancer Deaths, University of Oxford Study

Breast cancer patients who double the length of time that they take a common medication can sharply reduce their risk of death, according to a new study that’s predicted to influence medical practice. The study involved an estrogen-blocking pill called tamoxifen, a standard hormonal therapy for the roughly two-thirds of breast cancer patients whose tumors are sensitive to estrogen. Taking tamoxifen for five years after diagnosis reduces breast cancer mortality by about one-third.

Back to news