This is called advanced breast cancer . It can be treated with hormone therapy or chemotherapy depending on the circumstances. All the hormone therapies described below can be used as treatments for advanced breast cancer. If one type doesn't seem to be working effectively for you any more, your doctor can try you on others until one is found that suits you. In simple terms, tamoxifen works by preventing oestrogen from latching onto breast cancer cells and encouraging them to grow.
Tamoxifen is taken as a daily tablet and usually causes few unwanted side effects.
The side effects which may be experienced include hot flushes, a tendency to put on weight, dryness of the vagina and an increased discharge from the vagina. These side effects are usually mild and pass of their own accord once the body becomes used to the drug. A small number of women may continue to find some of the side effects of tamoxifen troublesome, and it would be helpful to discuss this with your doctor. Although this sounds very frightening it is very rare and almost always curable. The benefits of tamoxifen far outweigh the risks in most women.