Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences
 

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LOW DOSE TAMOXIFEN AS TREATMENT OF BENIGN BREAST PROLIFERATIVE LESIONS

CRISTIAN BĂLĂLĂU1, ȘTEFAN VOICULESCU2*, ION MOTOFEI1, RĂZVAN VALENTIN SCĂUNAȘU2, CAROLINA NEGREI3

1.Department of General Surgery, “Carol Davila” University of Medicineand Pharmacy, “St. Pantelimon” Emergency Universitary Hospital, 340-342, Pantelimon Main Road , Sector 2, Bucharest, Romania
2.Department of General Surgery, “Carol Davila” University of Medicineand Pharmacy, Colțea Universitary Hospital, 1, I.C. Bratianu Boulevard, Sector 3 Bucharest, Romania
3.Department of Toxicology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, 6, Traian Vuia Street, 020956, Bucharest, Romania

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The presence of oestrogen receptors in breast structures defining benign lesions, enlights the opportunity of using tamoxifen for this pathology. Tamoxifen is a selective oestrogen receptor modulator (SERM) with tissue-specific activities: it acts as an anti-oestrogen (inhibiting agent) in the mammary tissue, but as an oestrogen (stimulating agent) on the cholesterol metabolism, bone density, and cell proliferation in the endometrium and thus may be characterized as a mixed agonist/antagonist. Our study started from the observation that adapting doses for less dramatic breast pathology may significantly reduce the number and incidence of side effects, while remaining effective for the treatment and prevention of recurrent benign breast diseases and, probably, breast cancer [15, 17]. The results of our study suggest that low doses of tamoxifen may be prescribed for benign breast pathology expecting excellent results, especially for proliferative lesions (hyperplasia) and adenosis, associated with a very low rate of side effects incidence.