Breast cancer drugs cause stroke and cancer
Three of the leading drugs prescribed to prevent breast cancer in high-risk women come with a long list of adverse reactions – including cancer.
Tamoxifen, raloxifene and tibolone – which are all regularly prescribed around the world to prevent the cancer in healthy women who are at higher risk – cause a host of other problems, researchers have discovered.
Tamoxifen causes endometrial cancer, hysterectomies and cataracts, raloxifene and tamoxifen cause blood clots, and tibolone increases the risk of stroke, according to new research from the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality.
The researchers say the drugs are given out without enough thought given to the woman’s age, menopausal status, estrogen use and family history of breast cancer.
(Source: Annals of Internal Medicine, published online: September 15, 2009).