Fears about loss of fertility often prompt younger breast cancer patients to decline endocrine therapies such as tamoxifen. The study, published recently in JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, looked at use of the treatment by premenopausal patients younger than age 45. All of the patients had stage 0-III hormone receptor–positive breast cancer and were prescribed tamoxifen. The primary reasons for never initiating, delaying, or discontinuing treatment were concerns about side effects and the ability to become pregnant, study authors report.
Published September 9, 2015
