Breast cancer pill ‘not cause of side effects’
THOUSANDS of women are giving up on a life-saving pill for breast cancer in the mistaken belief it is causing debilitating side effects, researchers warn.
Tamoxifen costs 6p a day and is prescribed to most women who have been successfully treated for breast cancer to slash the odds of a recurrence.
But as many as a third do not take it for the recommended five years as they experience unpleasant side effects such as nausea, vomiting, headaches and hot flushes.
Now British researchers have found that women taking dummy pills are just as likely to experience these symptoms as those on tamoxifen. This suggests that the treatment is not to blame and symptoms are due to other causes such as the menopause.
Experts are urging doctors to sit down with women and make it clear that tamoxifen may not be responsible for symptoms.
The study by Cancer Research UK and the University of Leeds looked at 3,987 women, of whom half were given tamoxifen and the remainder a placebo. None of them had had breast cancer but they were offered the pill to reduce the odds of it occurring.
About a third of women on either tamoxifen or the placebo stopped it before five years were up because of the side effects. These were just as common in patients taking dummy pills.
The findings were presented yesterday at the San Antonio breast cancer symposium in Texas. Lead researcher Dr Samuel Smith said: ‘Our findings have implications for how doctors talk to patients about the benefits and side effects of preventive therapies such as tamoxifen. It’s important to manage expectations and provide accurate information on the likelihood of experiencing specific side effects and how these differ from symptoms that women may experience anyway.’
Rachel Rawson, clinical nurse specialist at Breast Cancer Care, said: ‘It’s a fascinating suggestion that the drug may not always be to blame.
‘This study suggests that stopping tamoxifen alone will not alleviate side effects and would leave women without the lifesaving treatment this drug offers.’
Sarah Williams, of Cancer Research UK, said: ‘Research like this to understand more about the side effects women experience, and the decisions this leads them to make, is vital to offering appropriate support so they can make the best choice for them.’
Some 662,264 prescriptions were given for tamoxifen in 2015 although it is unknown how many women are on it. The pill blocks the effects of the hormone oestrogen which can trigger tumours. As well as stopping breast cancer returning, it cuts the odds of it occurring in the first place by 40 per cent.
NHS guidelines recommend it is prescribed to all women with a high risk of breast cancer who have a family history of the illness.
‘Leave women without life-saving treatment’