A node-negative patient is one in whom the cancerous cells have not spread from the breast area to the lymph nodes under the arm. The following may be used to answer questions. Since its original approval in 1977 for patients with advanced breast cancer, tamoxifen has gradually been tested and found to be effective in several additional breast cancer patient populations. It is thought that tamoxifen works by blocking the effects of the hormone estrogen on tumor growth. In node negative patients the drug is indicated for use following lumpectomy or modified radical mastectomy.
Breast cancer strikes one out of every ten American women.
Over 44,000 women will die from the disease this year alone, making it the second largest cause of female death from cancer. Tamoxifen citrate is sold under the trade name Nolvadex by ICI Pharmaceuticals of Wilmington, Delaware. FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee on June 29 will discuss a protocol to study tamoxifen citrate for use in breast cancer prevention in healthy postmenopausal women.