raloxifene
Meaning of raloxifene: Raloxifene is a medication used to prevent and treat osteoporosis and to lower breast cancer risk in certain postmenopausal women.
Definition of raloxifene
Raloxifene is a medication belonging to a class of drugs called selective estrogen receptor modulators, which act like estrogen in some tissues while blocking its effects in others. In bone, raloxifene mimics estrogen's effect of helping preserve bone density, which is why it is used to prevent and treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
In breast tissue, raloxifene instead blocks the effect of estrogen, and this action is the basis for its use in reducing the risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women considered at higher than average risk of the disease. Because it does not act as estrogen throughout the body, raloxifene carries a different balance of effects than estrogen therapy itself.
Raloxifene is taken by mouth and is generally used over an extended period, since both its bone protective and breast cancer risk reducing effects depend on continued use rather than a single course of treatment.
Used in a sentence
Raloxifene was prescribed to help preserve bone density in the postmenopausal patient with osteoporosis.
Good to know
Raloxifene acts like estrogen in bone but blocks estrogen's effect in breast tissue, a tissue selective action that distinguishes selective estrogen receptor modulators from estrogen therapy itself.