The Effect of Raloxifene on Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women

Abstract

Adenocarcinoma of the breast is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States. About 43,500 women in the United States died of breast cancer in 1998.¹ Estrogen plays an important role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Postmenopausal women with high serum concentrations of estradiol have the highest risk of breast cancer.^2-5 A number of other risk factors associated with longer or greater exposure to estrogen increase the risk of developing breast cancer.⁶