OVARIAN VOLUME IN POSTMENOPAUSAL BREAST-CANCER PATIENTS TREATED WITH TAMOXIFEN

Background: Postmenopausal breast cancer patients treated with tamoxif en have been found to have a high incidence of ovarian tumors. Transva ginal ultrasonography is an accurate and reliable method for measuring ovarian size. The purpose of this study was to establish normal value s for basal ovarian volume in postmenopausal tamoxifen-treated patient s and compare them with those established for healthy, postmenopausal women in the same population with no exposure to hormone treatment. Me thods: In a prospective open pilot study, the ovaries of 65 postmenopa usal breast cancer patients treated for at least 6 months with tamoxif en were measured by transvaginal ultrasonography. From the same popula tion, 311 healthy postmenopausal women with no exposure to hormone the rapy were examined and served as controls. After matching for menopaus al age, ovarian volume was compared between groups. Results: Mean ovar ian volume of postmenopausal tamoxifen-treated patients was persistent ly low through the menopause, whereas the mean ovarian volume of the c ontrols was large, gradually decreasing up to the 10th menopausal year (8.6 +/- 2.3 and 2.8 +/- 2.1 cm(3), respectively). Mean ovarian volum e of the tamoxifen-treated patients was significantly lower than that of the controls during the initial menopausal years. Conclusions: An o varian volume that is considered within normal range for a specific me nopausal age in a healthy postmenopausal woman is abnormal for a postm enopausal tamoxifen-treated patient. (C) 1997 Academic Press