(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- While as many as 10 million women could be eligible
to take the drug tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer, side effects like hot
flashes, sexual problems and blood clots discourage many from taking the step.
A new study suggests women at high risk for breast cancer who are informed about
the risks and benefits of using the drug tamoxifen for breast cancer prevention
aren't likely to choose to take the drug.
Researchers at the University of Michigan gave study participants -- all women
at high risk for breast cancer -- a decision aid that contained objective
information about the risks and benefits of tamoxifen that was tailored to each
woman's health history.
"They knew what their risks were if they did nothing, and then we told them,
here's how likely all these things are if you take this pill," Peter Ubel, M.D.,
professor of medicine at the University of Michigan, told Ivanhoe. "We went to
extraordinary lengths, and why? Because I think this is probably the standard
for how we should help people make difficult decisions."
After viewing the information, 41 percent of women could correctly answer six of
six questions about the risks and benefits of the drug, and 63 percent correctly
answered at least five questions. Results show 29 percent of women said they
were likely to seek out more information about tamoxifen, 29 percent said they
would ask their doctor about the drug and only 6 percent said they were likely
to take it.
Three months later, researchers found fewer than 1 percent of participants had
started taking tamoxifen. Eighty percent of participants said they were worried
about side effects.
"There are 10 million women whose risk of breast cancer is high enough in the
next five years that this is an option for them," Dr. Ubel said. "If you are one
of these 10 million women … you owe it to yourself to understand the risks and
benefits of these drugs, and decide whether the benefits, for you, outweigh the
risks."
Source: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, December 2009
