Bleeding risk in breast cancer patients during concomitant administration of warfarin and tamoxifen: A population-based nested case-control study

Breast J. 2020 May;26(5):981-987. doi: 10.1111/tbj.13759. Epub 2020 Jan 28.

Abstract

We aimed to investigate whether the concomitant use of tamoxifen with warfarin is associated with higher risk for bleeding among patients with early estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive breast in a population-based nested case-control study. We identified 1787 patients taking warfarin and 92 cases hospitalized for bleeding and found an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 1.42 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.84-2.40) for the risk of bleeding in patients treated with warfarin that initiated tamoxifen within the previous 30 days. As a result, we could not definitively rule out a potential association between tamoxifen use during warfarin and bleeding risk in patients with breast cancer.

Keywords: bleeding; breast cancer; tamoxifen; warfarin.

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / adverse effects
  • Breast Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Tamoxifen / adverse effects
  • Warfarin* / adverse effects

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal
  • Tamoxifen
  • Warfarin