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It’s a secondary treatment. After surgery and chemo. Here is more info on it from the Cancer Institute:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/tamoxifen
yes it is…… tamoxifen blocks receptors in the cancer cells and decreases it’s further proliferation.
But it is used as a combination with radio/chemotherapy…… Used alone it is not curative
Tamoxifen has been shown to be effective in treating both invasive and noninvasive ductal and lobular stage 11a breast cancers when used post surgery/radiation therapy/chemotherapy. It has also been shown to be effective in preventing these cancers in at-risk women.
Tamoxifen can be effective for breast cancer only if it determined to be hormone receptive. Otherwise, I’m not sure it is of much value.
Many breast cancers are estrogen receptive. Therefore, Tamoxifen is often considered.
Results of a new study suggest a newer drug (Femara) may be more effective with fewer side effects.
I am the same stage as you, and I am going on 3 years of Tamoxifen. Of course you have to be ER+ for it to have any effect on you, and from what I understand, the effects of taking Tamoxifen last longer than the actual 5 years you are on it. I have been pretty lucky and have not suffered the side effects that some women have. Good luck to you!
Let me just tell you there are some side effects. I am a pretty happy go lucky person and when I was taking Tamoxifen I had to fight every moment to just try to be nice. I told the doctor after a while, he switched me to Femara. In 3 weeks I was back to my old self. Never be afraid to tell the doctor anything and everything that is going on. My eyes watered constantly when I was getting chemo. Told the doctor. The kind of chemo I was getting was swelling my tear ducts shut. Hang in there.