Our local channel just announced Tamoxifen could cause cancer in people taking it up to 440% chance?

5 Sep 2009

This link may help http://www.drugs.com/news/tamoxifen-may-up-risk-second-more-aggressive-breast-cancer-19519.html

If you are considering Tamoxifen treatment you and your doctor need to weigh up risks versus benefits.

2 Nov 2009

This is interesting to me as I take a high dose of Temador and my doctor never told me this! I have read and heard about it since and talked to him (the oncologist) and his answer is always, well it is the standard treatment protocol!
I told him I did not want to finish chemo since no new growth is showing on my MRI's each month and he freaked out and talked me into continuing on.
440% is a hard stat to beat, did it say it could cause a particular type of cancer? I also read soemthing about an increase chance of developing Luekemia?

17 Feb 2010

About 10 years ago I took Tamoxfin and I have had no problem. Infact I considered blessed for having taken this drug.

4 Aug 2010

I saw this. Yet again journalists decontextualizing number, failing to distinguish relative from absolute risk, etc. If we are following the stats of our disease or drug closely we ought review the basics of statistics: percentages, ratios, proportions -- then always ask "compared to what?".

If previous risk had been 1 in 100, and current risk is 2 in 100 -- we have an increase of 100% (100% of 1 = 1, added to previous risk). Note: if the previous risk had been 1 in 1000 and current risk is now 2 in 1000, the incease is still 100%.

Here the banner headline number guaranteed to scare means: compared to the likelihood of occurrence if the drug regimen had not been extended where a previous risk of 1 in ??? (how many? compared to what? out of 10? out of 10,000?), multiplied by 400% means that 5 out of that group will get cancer.

8 Sep 2012

i called the fda and cdc myself, theres a lot more than just cancer, they don't approve this drug for prevention, if you call them they will tell you why