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Breast cancer

Tamoxifen—when more might be better

The ATLAS trial demonstrated improved survival for women with oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer who continued taking tamoxifen for 10 years compared to stopping at 5 years. Women for whom absolute benefit outweighs adverse-effects should be selected based on their risk of recurrence beyond 5 years; support must be provided to maintain compliance.

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Women with oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer who are relapse free 5 years after diagnosis might benefit from continuing tamoxifen to 10 years.

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Correspondence to Carlos Caldas.

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Caldas, C., Tannock, I. Tamoxifen—when more might be better. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 10, 125–126 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2013.17

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