Raloxifene hydrochloride for breast cancer risk reduction in postmenopausal women

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Raloxifene is an estrogen receptor modulator which competes with estrogens for binding to the estrogen receptor. Based on the results of the STAR (Study of Tamoxifen And Raloxifene) trial, raloxifene has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the reduction of breast cancer (BC) risk in postmenopausal women at increased risk.

Areas covered: This analysis reviews the activity of raloxifene and the clinical trials for non-BC indications which led to investigate its use as BC preventive agent. We review the trial establishing its efficacy for BC prevention and the meta-analyses including different SERMs for BC prevention.

Expert commentary: Compared with tamoxifen, raloxifene has shown a slightly lower efficacy in reducing BC risk and a better safety profile. Raloxifene also offers to postmenopausal women a benefit in terms of osteoporosis. Future research should investigate its use in premenopausal women and in association with other preventive agents.

KEYWORDS:

• Clinical trials
• raloxifene
• breast cancer risk
• cancer prevention
• pharmacology

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.