Concerns about fertility kept a third of young women with breast cancer
from taking Tamoxifen, despite its known benefit in reducing the risk of
breast cancer coming back. The study found fertility concerns led a quarter of women who started Tamoxifen to stop taking it before the recommended treatment period ended.
"Our study points toward the importance of fertility to young breast cancer
patients. We need to find a way to bridge the gap between this patient
survivorship goal and our concerns as physicians to facilitate the best
treatment possible for our patients," says senior study author
Jacqueline Jeruss, M.D., Ph.D.
Previous studies have shown that five years of Tamoxifen can reduce
recurrence risk by 47 percent and mortality by 26 percent. More recent
data suggests continuing tamoxifen for 10 years may be even more
beneficial in preventing recurrence or death.
In the current study, researchers found that 13 percent of patients
declined to take Tamoxifen and 16 percent stopped before the five years
of recommended treatment were up. Of those who declined, the most common
factors were a diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ, declining
radiation therapy, not receiving chemotherapy and expressing a desire
for future fertility. A desire for future fertility was also
significantly associated with the early discontinuation of Tamoxifen.
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