Prescription Medications

Tamoxifen Might Cause Slight Increase in Stroke Risk

Researchers reviewed nine clinical studies of tamoxifen published since 1980. The studies included a total of 39,601 subjects, 19,954 of whom received tamoxifen. All the trials used a standard dose of tamoxifen (20 milligrams per day). Six of the trials specifically reported ischemic stroke events.

"With tamoxifen, we found the frequency of all strokes was 1.06 percent and for ischemic stroke was 0.71 percent, vs. 0.39 percent with controls," study author Dr. Cheryl Bushnell said in a prepared statement.

Among women who received tamoxifen, the risk of ischemic stroke increased by 82 percent and the risk of all strokes increased by 29 percent compared with women who took a placebo or other therapies. The absolute increase in risk was small, Bushnell noted.