ESTROGEN REPLACEMENT IN SURGICAL STAGE-I AND STAGE-II ENDOMETRIAL CANCER SURVIVORS

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to evaluate our experience with estrogen re placement in women with a history of early-stage endometrial cancer an d to determine whether it increased the risk for recurrence or death. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review was performed of 123 women with s urgical stage I and II endometrial adenocarcinoma treated between 1984 and 1994; 62 had received estrogen replacement therapy after cancer t herapy. Sixty-one women received no estrogen. Variables analyzed inclu ded age, parity, surgical stage, grade, depth of myometrial invasion, presence of intercurrent illnesses, duration of follow-up, and duratio n of estrogen replacement, if applicable. Outcome variables assessed i ncluded recurrence rate, time to recurrence, and disease-free interval . RESULTS: The estrogen replacement therapy group had earlier stage di sease (p = 0.04) and less severe depth of invasion (p = 0.003); howeve r, the total number of deaths in each group was not significantly diff erent. The disease-free survival in the estrogen replacement therapy g roup did not differ significantly compared with those not receiving es trogen replacement therapy. The data are suggestive of improved diseas e-free survival in the estrogen replacement therapy-group, which may b e related to differences in age, stage, grade, and depth of invasion. The overall recurrence rate was 6.5%, with an overall death rate of 1. 6%. CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence to suggest that estrogen decreas ed the disease-free interval or increased the risk for recurrence in e arly-stage disease.