Some experts question whether the unafflicted should receive such a potent drug. Tamoxifen’s side effects can range from hot flashes to depression. Rat studies have linked it to liver cancer (though human studies have not), and some research suggests it may foster cancers of the uterine lining. Statistically, the risks appear small. Dr. Bernard Fisher, the Pittsburgh oncologist heading the study, worries only that doctors will start prescribing before all the evidence is in. Until then, no one will know whether healthy women really have anything to gain.
