[AlaskaAngel]

Your family history and mine are pretty much the same.

Using tamoxifen as a preventative for those who are most likely to benefit from its use makes sense.

The question is, which patients get no clear benefit from tamoxifen, while still taking on any problems associated with it?

The link posted by 'lizbeth shows that some health care professionals are paying attention to such studies as those of the Karolinska Institute in regard to using breast cancer density to try to determine which patients benefit from tamoxifen. (Google Karolinska Institute and breast density and tamoxifen.)

I think I was one of those women who benefitted significantly from using tamoxifen. I also think that using the drug only short-term worked for me, for the very reasons outlined by the Karolinska Institute. If they are right, once repeat mammography shows that breast density has disappeared, the loss of density likely is an indicator that the tamoxifen has been effective and in that case, one likely wouldn't have to be on it long-term.

I was either pre or perimenopausal at time of diagnosis and did have chemotherapy and radiation first. And there is no way for me to know for certain whether taking tamoxifen alone before my cancer developed would have prevented my breast cancer.

But the key there is that my breast density did not change at all with chemotherapy or radiation. After I'd completed those therapies, my mammogram still showed dense breasts. However, within 3 months of being on tamoxifen, my breasts were extremely clear.

What I am saying is that maybe if your sister has repeat mammograms every 3 months, she could literally see whether she is someone who is benefitting from tamoxifen use or not. If her breasts continue to be dense, then perhaps some method of becoming at least temporarily menopausal might be another measure to use (along with the tamoxifen). If her breasts remain dense after both of those treatments, then perhaps the tamoxifen does not work for her and she could consider discontinuing it.

A.A.