A report says that tamoxifen, a cancer prevention drug, may cause cancerous tumors. This drug is prescribed to patients diagnosed with breast cancer and has a 20 percent success rate in preventing further incidences of canacer.

The tumors developed in the tamoxifen users were rare but aggressive. It is an estrogen blocking drug. Nevertheless, some suggest that it is a very successful drug in preventing the recurrence of common breast cancer tumors.

This report on tamoxifen is only based on observation, although it was made at the esteemed Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA, a center long known for comprehensive scientific research and reporting.

Dr Li, the author of the report suggests that the usage of this drug increases the risk by four-fold for a more difficult to treat cancerous tumor in the opposite breast.

The use of tamoxifen has shown to reduce the estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive contralateral breast cancers, which are the most common type, by 20 percent. This cancer is found in two-thirds of the cases diagnosed. On the other hand, a 500 percent increase in ER-negative breast cancers should give all the survivors and their health caregivers the need to assess their individual situation to evaluate risks versus benefits.

Alternative areas of medicine like homeopathy and botanical medicine are carrying out research with a promise for both cancer prevention and cancer relapse. These new alternatives will have no side-effects similar to those caused by tamoxifen.