Effects of Raloxifene on Bone Mineral Density, Serum Cholesterol Concentrations, and Uterine Endometrium in Postmenopausal Women

The incidence of osteoporosis and of cardiovascular disease increases in women after menopause. These increases can be prevented by estrogen therapy, but this treatment is associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer, 1 which may persist despite the addition of a progestin, 2 and perhaps also with an increased risk of breast cancer. 3 Thus, a therapy that could prevent postmenopausal bone loss and lower serum cholesterol concentrations without stimulating reproductive tissues would be desirable. Raloxifene is a nonsteroidal benzothiophene that inhibits the growth of estrogen-receptor–dependent, dimethylbenzanthracene-induced mammary tumors and reduces the occurrence of nitrosomethylurea-induced mammary tumors in rats. It has been . . .