Tamoxifen is an off-label option to treat men for breast cancer, infertility, and idiopathic gynecomastia. Lately, tamoxifen has been proposed as a treatment to prevent gynecomastia in prostate cancer patients receiving antiandrogen therapy. We reviewed the adverse events (AEs) reported in studies of men prescribed tamoxifen for these conditions to better understand its side-effect profile. We searched PubMed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that included safety data of tamoxifen treatment in men with prostate cancer, breast cancer, infertility, and idiopathic gynecomastia. Non-RCTs were also reviewed. The results demonstrate that the AE profile in tamoxifen-treated male populations varied. Excluding breast events, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular problems were the most commonly reported AEs in prostate cancer patients, whereas more psychiatric disorders were reported in male breast cancer patients. Few AEs have been documented in men receiving tamoxifen for infertility and idiopathic gynecomastia. Less than 5% of men withdrew from tamoxifen therapy because of toxicity. This suggests that for most men, tamoxifen is well-tolerated. Of those who discontinued tamoxifen, the majority were male breast cancer patients, and cardiovascular events were the most common reason for stopping tamoxifen treatment. Unfortunately, in many cases, the reasons for withdrawing tamoxifen were unspecified. Based on the available evidence, tamoxifen's AE profile appears to vary depending upon which male population is treated. Also, the frequency at which AEs occur varies - less AEs in men with infertility and idiopathic gynecomastia compared to men with prostate cancer or breast cancer. Long-term studies that rigorously document the side-effect profile of tamoxifen in men are lacking.

Caregivers of men with prostate cancer report high burden, and there is a need to develop cost-effective programs to support them in their roles. This study reports on the acceptability of a dyadic, Tailored, wEb-based, psychosocial and physical activity (PA) self-Management PrOgram called TEMPO. TEMPO was accessed by a convenience sample of 19 men with prostate cancer and their caregivers (n = 18), as well as six health care professionals (HCPs). User feedback was gathered via semi-structured qualitative interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Most dyads were satisfied with TEMPO, particularly with the dyadic feature of TEMPO, the focus on goal setting to integrate self-management, and the extensive health library. The patients and caregivers motivated each other as they worked through TEMPO. Most goals to achieve during TEMPO pertained to increasing PA, followed by learning physical symptom management. One unanticipated benefit of TEMPO for the dyads was improved communication. HCPs agreed that TEMPO was a novel approach to online cancer self-management and they echoed the benefits reported by dyads. Key suggestions for improving TEMPO were to reduce repetition, tailor content, add more exercise ideas, and have more printing options. This study provides a strong foundation on which to plan a larger trial.

No abstract

Worldwide, more than 1 million men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and more than 300,000 die of the disease [...]