Abstract
We conducted a 2-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled toxicity trial of therapy with tamoxifen (10 mg twice a day) in 140 postmenopausal women with a history of breast cancer and histologically negative axillary lymph nodes. These women had been treated with surgery with or without radiotherapy. At a 3-month evaluation, tamoxifen-treated women showed a significant decrease in fasting plasma levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which persisted at 6- and 12-month evaluations. During the first 12 months, plasma triglyceride levels increased; small but significant decreases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) were observed in tamoxifen-treated women, but ratios of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol and of LDL to HDL cholesterol changed favorably. While data relating lipid/lipoprotein profiles and cardiovascular disease are limited in women, current evidence suggests that total cholesterol and possibly low-density lipoprotein cholesterol are risk factors. We conclude that during the first 12 months of treatment, tamoxifen exerts a favorable effect on the lipid profile in postmenopausal women with early stage breast cancer. [J Natl Cancer Inst 82:1327-1332, 1990].
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1327-1332 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of the National Cancer Institute |
Volume | 82 |
Issue number | 16 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 15 1990 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology
- Cancer Research