title: Anti-oestrogenic prevention of breast cancer--the make or break point.
abstract: Clinical trials have shown that giving anti-oestrogens to healthy women can reduce the early incidence of breast cancer by approximately 40%. However, the large numbers of women treated, compared with the few who get breast cancer, together with the not insignificant toxicity and the unknown long-term clinical benefits and risks, makes this strategy of prevention versus treatment precarious. So how can we improve the odds for the successful use of endocrine chemoprevention?
mesh_terms: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D020847:Estrogen Receptor Modulators / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D008954:Models, Biological; D008956:Models, Chemical; D011897:Random Allocation; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D012307:Risk Factors; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D020847:Estrogen Receptor Modulators; D004967:Estrogens; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D013629:Tamoxifen