Annals of internal medicine
-
Chemoprevention offers promise as a strategy for reducing morbidity and mortality from breast cancer in women. This review examined the evidence for the effectiveness of chemoprevention in women without a history of breast cancer. ⋯ Tamoxifen and raloxifene reduce the incidence of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer in women. The relative risk reduction seems similar across all breast cancer risk groups. The absolute risk reduction varies by risk factors for breast cancer, however, and must be balanced against the potential harms to judge the appropriateness of treatment for individual women.