DO LH-RH ANALOGS INDUCE EFFECTS SIMILAR TO TAMOXIFEN ON SERUM-LIPID PARAMETERS IN PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH BREAST-CANCER - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY

Background and Aim: As a continuation of our investigational program w e carried out the present study to evaluate and compare the impact of LH-RH analogues and tamoxifen on serum lipid parameters in premenopaus al women with breast cancer. Methods and Results: The study group cons isted of 17 fully ambulatory women aged 36-48 years with histologicall y proven breast cancer randomly selected to receive an LH-RH analogue. Additionally a group of 17 premenopausal women matched for age and bo dy mass index chosen from a pool of women treated with tamoxifen, acte d as control. A complete lipid profile was determined before treatment and after 1, 3, 6 and 9 months. A decrease in serum total cholesterol , LDL cholesterol, Apo B, and Lp(alpha) levels was observed in women t reated with tamoxifen. On the contrary no changes in measured lipid pa rameters were found in women treated with luteinizing hormone-releasin g hormone (LH-RH) analogue. Patients treated with tamoxifen exhibited lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and Apo B levels, as well as lower levels of the atherogenic risk ratio total cholesterol:HDL chol esterol than patients treated with LH-RH analogue throughout the study These changes depended upon both treatment and time as well as their interaction Conclusions: We conclude that while tamoxifen has a benefi cial effect on serum lipid profile, LH-RH analogues have rather a neut ral effect, possibly as a result of the contrasting effects of estroge ns and both progestins and androgens on lipid metabolism. (C) 1998, Me dikal Press.