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In
addition to helping prevent bone loss and possibly reducing the risk of breast cancer in women at high risk for the disease,
researchers have found that the drug raloxifene (brand name,
Evista) may also help relieve anxiety levels in post-menopausal women. According to the
researchers, approximately 50% of the women in the study who had taken raloxifene for one
year said the drug eased their anxiety.
Raloxifene is approved by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) to help prevent and treat osteoporosis in post-menopausal women.
Osteoporosis is a degenerative bone disease that affects roughly one third of women over
age 50. Raloxifene mimics the effects of the female hormone, estrogen, and helps reduce
bone loss while increasing bone density. In several studies, raloxifene has reduced
fracture risk by 50%.
According to lead researcher Dr. Ronald
Strickler of the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, finding that raloxifene helped
relieve anxiety was a surprise. In the study, other quality of life factors such as
depressed mood, memory/concentration sexual behavior, sleep problems, etc. were unchanged
among women on raloxifene. Women who took estrogen replacement
therapy in the study experienced a decrease in hot flashes, while women on raloxifene
experience no change in hot flashes.
In addition to helping prevent and
treat osteoporosis, raloxifene is being tested in clinical
trials to determine if it can safely and effectively prevent breast cancer in high
risk women. Raloxifene, which is similar to the breast cancer drug tamoxifen (brand name, Nolvadex), is thought to compete
with estrogen to bind to estrogen receptors in breast cancer cells. By blocking estrogen
in the breast, raloxifene slows the growth and reproduction of breast cancer cells.
The STAR trial
(Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene) will help determine the long-term safety of raloxifene
and tamoxifen in helping to prevent breast cancer in 22,000 post-menopausal women over age
35. While tamoxifen has been shown to significantly reduce the chances of invasive breast
cancer in women at high risk, it can increase the chances of endometrial cancer (cancer of
the lining of the uterus).
In osteoporosis studies, raloxifene did
not increase the risk of endometrial cancer. An important part of STAR will be to compare
the long-term safety of raloxifene and tamoxifen in women at increased risk for breast
cancer. Though the STAR trial began in May 1999, researchers are still enrolling
participants across the United States. To date, over 6,000 women have been enrolled in the
STAR trial and researchers are hoping that another 16,000 women will join within the next
few years.
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