I. Cohen et al., ENDOMETRIAL CHANGES IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN TREATED WITH TAMOXIFEN FOR BREAST-CANCER, British journal of obstetrics and gynaecology, 100(6), 1993, pp. 567-570
Objective To evaluate whether risk factors, other than tamoxifen, can
be identified for the development of endometrial pathologies in postme
nopausal breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen. Design A cross
-sectional study. Setting Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and
Oncology Clinic, Sapir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel. Subjects 77
asymptomatic postmenopausal women, treated with tamoxifen for breast
cancer. Of these, 55 had no endometrial tissue and 22 had endometrial
tissue obtained by biopsy. Main outcome measures Demographic character
istics, health habits, risk factors, vaginal ultrasonographic evaluati
ons of endometrial thickness and texture, and histologic evaluations o
f endometrial biopsies. Results Overall, there was a high rate (29%) o
f endometrial pathological change among the 77 asymptomatic postmenopa
usal women. There were no significant statistical differences in the f
eatures tested between the two groups. Conclusion It is impossible to
predict which postmenopausal women will develop pathological endometri
al changes after treatment with tamoxifen and thus a routine periodic
endometrial sampling-follow up is suggested for all postmenopausal wom
en being treated with this agent.