News: Raloxifene cuts risk of endometrial cancer

Raloxifene significantly lowers the odds of developing endometrial cancer and is associated with a more favorable histologic type in patients who do develop cancer, according to an article published in the Sept. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Angela DeMichele, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues performed a case–control study examining the cancer risk associated with tamoxifen, raloxifene, and non-users of a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), and associated characteristics of endometrial tumors.

In the study, 547 cases were matched to 1,410 controls. Among cases and controls, 3.3% and 6.6% took raloxifene, respectively; 6.2% and 2.4% took tamoxifen, respectively. The odds of developing endometrial cancer among raloxifene users was half that of non-SERM users (OR, 0.50), while tamoxifen was associated with three times the odds of developing endometrial cancer compared to raloxifene (OR, 3.0), the researchers report. Raloxifene was associated with a more favorable histologic profile with most endometrial tumors being stage 1 and low grade, the report indicates.

DeMichele A, Troxel AB, Berlin JA, et al. Impact of raloxifene or tamoxifen use on endometrial cancer risk: a population-based case-control study. J Clin Oncol. 2008;26:4151-4159.