High-Dose Tamoxifen May Prolong
Survival in ALS
Neurologist Benjamin Brooks, who directs the MDA ALS Center
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, presented results of
a trial of tamoxifen, a drug approved for the treatment
of breast cancer, at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology
in April. The trial was supported in part by MDA.
In a two-year study of 60 people with amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS) who took varying dosages of tamoxifen,
which changes the way the body responds to the female hormone
estrogen, Brooks found that participants who took more than
20 milligrams a day had a better survival rate than those who
took fewer than 10 milligrams a day.
After two years, 27 out of 37 (73 percent) of the participants
in the high-dose tamoxifen group had survived, while only 11
of 23 (48 percent) of those in the low-dose groups were still
living.
There was no difference among the various dosage groups on
measures of muscle strength, respiratory capacity, activities
of daily living or functional abilities.
Brooks cautioned that a longer trial would be necessary to
demonstrate with certainty that there’s a survival benefit
to taking tamoxifen at the higher doses.
He’s planning further studies to investigate the effects
of tamoxifen and also recommends that the metabolic products
of tamoxifen be studied. | 
