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Side-effects

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Side-effects with tamoxifen are unusual.

Unwanted effects include:

  • vaginal bleeding
  • hot flushes - treatment with clonidine has been shown to be effective in reducing tamoxifen associated hot flushes in postmenopausal women with breast cancer (2)
  • suppression of menstruation
  • gastrointestinal disturbance
  • increased bone pain from metastases
  • rarely, hypercalcaemia in metastatic disease
  • thromboembolism

The incidence of symptomatic endometrial cancer in patients taking tamoxifen is estimated to be less than 20 in 10000 women treated per year.

Reference:

  • (1) Bergman, E, Beelen, MLR. et al. (2000). Risk and prognosis of endometrial cancer after tamoxifen for breast cancer. Lancet, 356, 881-7.
  • (2) Pandya KJ et al (2000). Oral clonidine in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer experiencing tamoxifen-induced hot flushes: a University of Rochester Cancer Center Community Clinical Oncology Program Study. Ann Intern Med, 132, 788-93.

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