A major government study has found that the osteoporosis drug Evista works as well as tamoxifen in reducing breast cancer risk. It has fewer serious side effects than tamoxifen.
The study included nearly 20,000 post-menopausal women of the average age of 58. Half took tamoxifen and half took Evista. Both cut the risk in half. But in the Evista group, there were 36 percent fewer uterine cancers and 29 percent fewer blood clots. Evista did not increase the risk of cataracts as well.
The study found at least one significant drawback to Evista. Unlike tamoxifen, Evista did not decrease the risk of two early-stage breast cancers. These stages are lobular carcinoma in situ and ductal carcinoma in situ. Cancers detected in these stages can almost always be cured.
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