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Retinal function in patients treated with tamoxifen

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Abstract

Tamoxifen, an effective treatment of breast cancer, has been shown to cause ocular toxic effects. The purpose of this study was to determine retinal toxicity by full-field and focal electroretinograms (ERGs) in patients treated with tamoxifen. Full-field and focal ERGs were obtained from three groups: Tamoxifen—14 females (47–72 years, mean 58.3 ± 9.1) with normal fundus, treated with tamoxifen from 2 to 37 months; No Treatment—10 females (39–65 years, mean 50.1 ± 8.7) with previous breast cancer diagnosis and before tamoxifen treatment; Control—13 normal female volunteers (41–81 years, mean 52.7 ± 12.1). Peak-to-peak amplitude and b-wave implicit time were measured and statistically analyzed. Mean peak-to-peak amplitudes and implicit time from full-field and focal ERGs were comparable for the three different groups. Low-dosage tamoxifen showed no retinotoxic effect assessed by full-field and focal ERG in this small group of women with breast cancer.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) grant # 01/03364-6 to S.R. Salomão. Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Brasília, Brasil) pre-doctoral scholarship to S.E.S. Watanabe.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deptartment of Ophthalmology, Federal University of São Paulo, UNIFESP, São Paulo, Brazil

    Sung Eun Song Watanabe, Adriana Berezovsky, Márcia Motono, Paula Yuri Sacai, Josenilson Martins Pereira, Juliana Maria Ferraz Sallum & Solange Rios Salomão

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, A.C.Camargo Cancer Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil

    Márcia Motono

  3. Discipline of Mastology, Federal University of São Paulo, UNIFESP, São Paulo, Brazil

    Luiz Henrique Gebrim

  4. Rua Estero Belaco, 407 apt. 54, Saude, São Paulo, 04145-020, Brazil

    Sung Eun Song Watanabe

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  1. Sung Eun Song Watanabe
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  2. Adriana Berezovsky
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  3. Márcia Motono
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  4. Paula Yuri Sacai
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  8. Solange Rios Salomão
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Correspondence to Sung Eun Song Watanabe.

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Watanabe, S.E.S., Berezovsky, A., Motono, M. et al. Retinal function in patients treated with tamoxifen. Doc Ophthalmol 120, 137–143 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-009-9203-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10633-009-9203-8

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