TAMOXIFEN AND OCULAR TOXICITY

Tamoxifen, widely used in the management of breast cancer, has been as sociated with a reduction of mortality and recurrence as well as occur rence of controlateral tumors. It is generally well tolerated, apart f rom certain well-documented adverse effects concerning mainly the repr oductive organs, the most worrying being its carcinogenicity for the e ndometrium. Ocular toxicity has also been reported as one possible com plication of the drug, with lesions described in the retina, the corne a, or the optic nerve, especially in women treated with high daily or cumulated doses of tamoxifen, although some cases have also been repor ted with standard doses. The incidence of such ocular complications is rather low considering the large number of patients receiving tamoxif en. The possible reversibility of these lesions, if discovered in time , emphasizes the need for clinicians to be aware of these ocular react ions and raises the question of periodic ophthalmological screening ex aminations among patients receiving tamoxifen.