RALOXIFENE, THE FIRST OF THE NEW ESTROGENS
Report #7288
Raloxifene is an exciting new estrogen that strengthens bones, but does not stimulate the breast and therefore should not increase a woman's chances of getting breast cancer.
When a woman goes into the menopause, her body produces smaller amounts of estrogen which increases her chances of suffering lowered IQ, depression, colon cancer, loss of teeth, hot flushes, heart attacks, strokes, vaginal dryness and osteoporosis. Taking estrogen can help treat all of these problems, but it also may increase a woman's chances of suffering breast cancer. Estrogen offers its many benefits by attaching to special hooks on cells called estrogen receptors of specific tissues. For example, estrogen raises IQ and treats depression by binding to estrogen receptors in the brain and estrogen prevents bone loss by binding to estrogen receptors on bone cells. Recent research shows that scientists can tailor-make different types of estrogens that bind specifically to estrogen receptors on specific tissue. Soon, raloxifene will be available by prescription. It binds to bone cells to strengthen bones and liver cells to raise blood levels of the good HDL cholesterol to prevent heart attacks. Raloxifene does not stimulate breast cells to cause breast cancer.
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News
1) Delmas PD et al. Effects of raloxifene on bone m ineral density, serum cholesterol
concentrations and uterine endometrium in postmenopausal women. NEJM 1997(Dec
4);337(23):1641-7. 2) RP Heaney, MW Draper. Raloxifene and estrogen: Comparative bone-remodeling kinetics.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 1997(Oct);82(10):3425-3429. 3) T Hol, MB Cox, HU Bryant, MW Draper. Selective estrogen receptor modulators and
postmenopausal women's health. Journal of Womens Health 6: 5 (OCT 1997):523-531. Binds
with high affinity to the estrogen receptor and produces effects similar to estrogen on
the skeleton and cardiovascular system but behaves as a complete estrogen antagonist in
the uterus and the breast.
Reported 12/2/97; see the Women's Health section for more recent information on estrogens.