Serum Estradiol Level and Risk of Breast Cancer During Treatment With Raloxifene

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Prospective studies have found that the risk of breast cancer rises with increases in endogenous estradiol levels.1-4 The selective estrogen receptor modulators tamoxifen and raloxifene block the effects of endogenous estrogen in the breast5,6 and reduce the risk of breast cancer.7-9 Therefore, the effects of selective estrogen receptor modulators might depend on endogenous levels of estrogen. In a previous analysis of raloxifene effects in the Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation (MORE) trial, Lippman and colleagues10 observed that characteristics that might reflect high lifetime exposure to estrogen, such as high bone mineral density, were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and somewhat greater reduction in cancer risk with raloxifene. They also reported that raloxifene reduced breast cancer significantly in women whether their estradiol levels were above or below the upper tertile, but the study did not analyze the full range of estradiol levels.

This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit: