Tamoxifen Use and Gallstone Formation in Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Patients in South Indian Population

Background: Tamoxifen is being used in patients with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer as an adjuvant or palliative hormonal therapy. Western studies have found a 30% incidence of gallstones in patients who are taking Tamoxifen and they have proved a significant association between the two. Objectives : The objective of the study was to find out the association of Tamoxifen use and gallstone formation in postmenopausal breast cancer patients in a South Indian population. Methods: Ninety patients who had undergone surgery for invasive breast cancer in our institute, and were receiving adjuvant Tamoxifen, were recruited for the study. An equal number of age-matched postmenopausal women were taken as controls. All of them underwent an abdominal ultrasound screening test for gallstones. Presence or absence of gallstones was noted down from their ultrasound scan reports. Pretreatment status of the gall bladder was assessed from the preoperative scan reports. Results: An odds ratio of 1 was derived when the case group was compared with the control group. Conclusions: In our study we could not establish that an association existed between Tamoxifen use and gallstone formation in postmenopausal South Indian women