MAMMOGRAPHIC CHANGES IN WOMEN RECEIVING TIBOLONE THERAPY

Objective: To investigate the effects of tibolone therapy for menopaus al symptoms on mammographic findings and to identify any association b etween mammographic changes and the demographic and hormonal character istics of women receiving tibolone. Design: A prospective study. Setti ng: A university hospital. Patient(s): Seventy-five women who were in the climacteric or postmenopausal period were recruited, and 25 of the m were followed up for 24 months. Intervention(s): After high-resoluti on mammographies were performed and blood samples were collected, tibo lone (2.5 mg/d) was administered orally to all patients. At the end of the 24-month follow-up period, blood samples were collected again and mammographies were repeated. Main Outcome Measure(s): Serum levels of LH, FSH, prolactin, estradiol, testosterone, and DHEAS were determine d from the collected samples, and mammographies were interpreted. Resu lt(s): At the end of the 24-month follow-up period, mammographic chang es were observed in only two women (88). Women who had no change in ma mmography constituted group I (n = 23). Women who had a change constit uted group II (n = 2). Although the initial hormone levels were not di fferent, the increase in serum DHEAS in group I was significantly high er than in group II (z = 2.30, P = 0.021). Conclusion(s): The frequenc y of mammographic changes in women receiving tibolone therapy was foun d to be 8% at the end of the 24-month follow-up. The serum DHEAS level may be an important hormonal marker complementary to mammographic scr eening for women receiving tibolone therapy. We strongly believe that tibolone is safe in terms of mammographic changes in postmenopausal wo men. (C) 1998 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.