If you have hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, hormone therapy with tamoxifen and/or an aromatase inhibitor is a key part of your treatment.
Compared to chemotherapy, tamoxifen has few side effects. For example, tamoxifen does not cause hair loss. However, menopausal symptoms, like hot flashes, are common in women who take tamoxifen [60,67]. Although these symptoms may become less frequent and less intense over time, they can still be hard to manage. If you have any symptoms, talk to your health care provider. He/she can help treat many of them.
The most serious side effects of tamoxifen, such as endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus) and blood clots in the lungs, are very rare [60,67].
Figure 5.10 lists some possible side effects of tamoxifen in women.
| Figure 5.10: Side effects of tamoxifen in women |
| Common |
- Hot flashes and night sweats
- Vaginal discharge
- Vaginal dryness or itching
|
Uncommon/rare
|
- Loss of sex drive
- Vaginal bleeding
|
| Very rare |
- Blood clots in the large veins (deep venous thrombosis)
- Blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary emboli)
- Bone loss (premenopausal women only)
- Cancer of the lining of the uterus (endometrial cancer)
- Cancer of the uterus (uterine cancer)
- Cataracts
- Stroke
|
| Adapted from National Cancer Institute materials [67]. |
In men, possible side effects include [67-68]:
- Headache
- Hot flashes
- Impotence
- Loss of sex drive
- Nausea and vomiting
- Skin rash
Side effects of tamoxifen versus side effects of aromatase inhibitors
Although both aromatase inhibitors and tamoxifen can cause menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, they have many different side effects. Learn more about how the side effects of these hormone therapies compare.
Updated 04/26/13
