Think Pinker

Over the years we’ve heard a lot about the drug Tamoxifen and its use in the treatment of breast cancer. But even more importantly it seem that clinical studies on Tamoxifin have showing some excellent results when it comes to the early detection of ER negative breast cancer.

The long term numbers might not yet be available but so far what they’re seeing is significant and promising. For those of you not familiar with the drug Tamoxifen it is used as part of the anti hormonal therapy used on women who have had ER positive breast cancer, which is the type of breast cancer that is tied to estrogen.

Although tamoxifin has no effect on diagnosing ER positive breast cancer it does have an effect on reducing the number of ER positive breast cancer cases and it also makes ER negative breast cancer easier to detect.

So why has Tamoxifen been such a success. Tamoxifen changes the density of the tissue. With ER negative breast cancer the biggest problem for it being missed in a mammogram is because there isn’t enough contrast in the tissue. Tamoxifen helps to make the affected tissue easier to detect.

There are many different treatments used in treating breast cancer. Some have had better success than others, but few have lasting effects like Tamoxifen. Of course a mastectomy is always the most for sure method of eliminating breast cancer but it’s also the most radical and so if there was more hope that there are other less drastic treatments more women may look at all their options before feeling choosing a mastectomy. Up until now many women felt they really had little choice. But thanks to ongoing research there is more hope for more options.