ABSTRACTS: ISoP Annual Conference ‘Joining Forces for Managing Risks’ Liège, Belgium 11–13 October, 2006

Excerpt

Background: Breast cancer is a malignant tumour that has developed from cells in the breast and the most common form of cancer in women. In Taiwan, breast cancer is a big issue, and it has been ranked one of the most common cancers affecting Taiwanese women for many years. Tamoxifen is the oldest of all the SERMs (selective estrogen-receptor modulators) being used in the hormonal treatment and prescribed for women with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. On the other hand, trastuzumab is therapeutic for HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) protein overexpressing metastatic breast cancer; a monoclonal antibody. Most people believe that monoclonal antibodies is generally a more targeted form of therapy than chemotherapy. We analyse adverse reactions of medicines approved for breast cancer by Department of Health (DOH) of Taiwan from National Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Center Database, including tamoxifen, doxorubicin, paclitaxel, anastrozole, capecitabine, letrozole, vinorelbine, and fulvestrant. …