Why Some People Might Not Derive Complete Benefit from Tamoxifen?

1. Why Some People Might Not Derive Complete Benefit from Tamoxifen? Tamoxifen is a medication that has been utilized to diagnose breast cancer for over 30 years. It is like a hormonal therapy called as selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) that works by getting attached to the estrogen receptors in breast cells, thus choking estrogen’s capability to cause cell mutations that can lead to cancer. Since surgeons cannot always be 100% sure they effaced all cancer cells, tamoxifen can considerably minimize the risk of further multiplication of those cells. Studies have revealed that tamoxifen can reduce the risk of cancer in high-risk women by more than 30%. But because tamoxifen drug affects estrogen receptors in the body, it is only effective against cancers that are estrogen-receptor or progesterone-receptor positive. Tamoxifen comes in two forms: A pill - consumed once a day A liquid form So, if you don’t like pills, liquid form can help make it easier to cope up with your treatment plan. Tamoxifen side effects like abnormal vaginal bleeding, chest pain, weakness, short breath, severe headache are probable, so call your doctor immediately if you experience any of these symptoms.

2. Why doesn't Tamoxifen work in some women having hormone-sensitive breast cancer? Tamoxifen restricts the estrogen action and halves the risk of breast cancer recurrence in women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer. But it works better for some patients than others. For tamoxifen to work, it needs to be completely metabolized into its more powerful form endoxifen. A theory related to why tamoxifen doesn’t work in some patients is that the drug only makes low levels of endoxifen in those patients. And this is why patients having low levels of endoxifen might experience severe tamoxifen side effects. So before taking tamoxifen, consult your doctor if you are allergic to it; or if you are prone to other allergies. According to a study by the International Tamoxifen Pharmacogenetics Consortium, patients with certain variants of the gene CYP2D6 managed worse on tamoxifen medication. But the later analysis could not connect to this link. The result, in the end, leaves more questions than answers about why tamoxifen works well in some patients and not in others. But undoubtedly, it seems to signify that a variation in the patient gene is the right direction to research. And after navigating through all possible areas, the researchers accept that a long-term study of women with and without inherited breast cancer mutations undergoing cancer therapy would provide better leads.