Does Tamoxifen Prevent the Skeletal and Cardiovascular Morbidity of Chemotherapy in Premenopausal Women?

OBJECTIVES:

• Compare the bone density in the femoral neck and lumbar spine and cholesterol levels in premenopausal women with stage I or II breast cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy with or without tamoxifen.
• Collect information regarding breast cancer risk factors, treatment, pathology, diet, activity levels, weight, and smoking in these patients.

OUTLINE: Patients are stratified according to type of treatment (adjuvant chemotherapy plus tamoxifen vs adjuvant chemotherapy alone).

Patients receive adjuvant chemotherapy with or without oral tamoxifen at the discretion of the treating physician.

Prior to starting chemotherapy, patients undergo blood draw to measure baseline levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, estradiol, total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins, and low-density lipoproteins. Patients undergo baseline bone densitometry of the femoral neck and lumbar spine to assess bone density prior to starting chemotherapy or within 30 days of the first drug treatment. Laboratory studies and bone densitometry are repeated at years 1 and 2. A comparison is made between the study findings at baseline and at years 1 and 2.