Tamoxifen

Chemical Formula: C₂₆H₃₀NO

Other names: (Z)-2-(p-(1,2-Diphenyl-1-butenyl)phenoxy)-N,N-dimethylethylamine

Layman's explanation: Tamoxifen, a synthetic non-steroidal antiestrogen, was first synthesized at ICI Pharmaceuticals in England as a contraceptive pill, but is used today to treat estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancers, which require estrogen to grow and reproduce. Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) that competes with estrogen to bind at estrogen receptor sites on cancer cells. In doing so, the growth and spread of cancer can be greatly slowed or diminished. Unfortunately, the mechanism of antiestrogen action is not fully understood.

Keywords: anti-estrogen, SERM

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