Press Release: Tamoxifen's Risks Similar in African American and White Women

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African American and white women who are treated with tamoxifen for breast cancer appear to have the same risks of contralateral breast cancer and thromboembolic events, according to a new study in the December 1 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Between 2% and 15% of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer will develop contralateral breast cancer—cancer in the opposite breast—depending on age and other factors. Tamoxifen has been shown to reduce the risk of contralateral breast cancer by 47% in women with early-stage primary breast cancer. However, the trials that demonstrated tamoxifen's benefits were done largely in populations of white women, and little data exists on the drug's effects on African American women. In addition, tamoxifen use is associated with an increased risk of thromboembolic events, such as stroke, and the African American population has more risk factors—such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes—for these events compared with the white population.