• Question: What type of behaviors do you change?

    Asked by ben to Sam, Majid on 16 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Sam Smith

      Sam Smith answered on 16 Mar 2016:

      Hi Ben,

      My main behaviour I study is medication taking behaviour. I study a group of women who are at increased risk of breast cancer because they have a family history of the disease. There is a drug called tamoxifen that can reduce the risk of breast cancer among these patients, but it comes with some nasty side-effects. So on the one hand they can take it and reduce their risk of breast cancer (but experience side-effects). Or they can avoid the side-effects, but have a higher risk of getting cancer. It’s a very very difficult decision to make. So i try and find ways of supporting these women so they can make a good choice for them. It can be so tricky though, and i have a lot of sympathy for their predicament.

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