“Tamoxifen is the most important drug in the history of medical oncology.” Dr. Harold J. Burstein, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston.
Tamoxifen is a drug that blocks the action of the hormone oestrogen – a job that sounds simple. So is it really one of the greatest advances in cancer treatment? It’s a pretty grandiose claim.
But when you consider the impact it’s had on extending and saving the lives of women breast cancer, and the fact that breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK, you can see why some oncologists hold it in such high regard.
It’s certainly saved the lives of millions of women around the world. But the drug is usually only given for five years because cancer cells develop resistance to its effects over time.
That’s why today’s announcement – that scientists have worked out how tamoxifen resistance develops – paves the way for even more improvements in breast cancer care.
Posted by Henry Scowcroft 
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