Breast Cancer Drug May Improve Heart Disease Risk Factors.(tamoxifen)

2001 MAR 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- A study conducted at the University of Vermont College of Medicine (UVM) suggests that the drug tamoxifen - currently used in the treatment and prevention of breast cancer - may also help reduce the risk of heart disease in healthy women.

UVM researchers found that tamoxifen appeared to reduce levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen - markers of inflammation that have been associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Specifically, tamoxifen was shown to reduce CRP levels by 26% and fibrinogen levels by 22% ("Tamoxifen and cardiac risk factors in healthy women," Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, February 2001).

In the study, tamoxifen, like other hormone replacement therapy, was expected to lower blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease, as is inflammation. Currently used as a supplemental therapy for early stage breast cancer and to reduce the incidence of breast cancer in healthy women at a high risk of developing the disease, tamoxifen prevents estrogen from promoting the growth of breast cancer cells. However, in other areas of the body, it actually acts like estrogen. It was this hormone-replacement therapy-like behavior that led University of Vermont (UVM) researchers to the study.

"Since heart disease is the number-one killer of women in this ...