Tamoxifen is nominally called an 'anti-estrogen' although it has some estrogen-agonist activities and tends to increase plasma endogenous estrogen levels. Several studies have confirmed that it decreases plasma total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol and a review of mortality in patients taking tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy for breast cancer indicates a decreased number of vascular deaths in women on tamoxifen compared to those not on this agent.