what is tamoxifen used for

Tamoxifen is a hormone therapy drug used to treat breast cancer in women and men. It is also sometimes called endocrine therapy. Tamoxifen is used to treat early breast cancer, secondary breast cancer, and to lower the risk of breast cancer from developing. Women who have a high risk of breast cancer because of a family history might have tamoxifen. Tamoxifen is also used to treat hypertrophy of the uterus, meningioma, prophylaxis of postmenopausal osteoporosis, and Riedel thyroiditis. Tamoxifen is in a class of medications known as antiestrogens. It blocks the activity of estrogen (a female hormone) in the breast. This may stop the growth of some breast tumors that need estrogen to grow