DIFFERENT COEXISTING GYNECOLOGICAL AND ENDOMETRIAL PATHOLOGIES IN POSTMENOPAUSAL BREAST-CANCER PATIENTS TREATED WITH TAMOXIFEN

Tamoxifen administration to postmenopausal women has been described as being associated with various endometrial and other gynecological pat hologies. However, different coexisting gynecological pathologies in s uch patients have not yet been described. In the present study, we ass essed the histopathological conditions diagnosed in endometrium, myome trium, and ovaries of 28 postmenopausal breast cancer patients who wer e treated with tamoxifen (study group) and compared the findings to th ose obtained from 14 similar patients without tamoxifen treatment (con trol group I) and from 28 age-matched healthy postmenopausal controls (control group II). All specimens were removed by total abdominal hyst erectomy and bilateral salpingooophorectomy for various indications. T he overall incidence of two or more different coexisting gynecological pathologies was significantly higher among the study group (92.9%) th an in control group I or in control group II (42.9 and 50%, respective ly; p = 0.0001). There was no significant statistical difference betwe en the control groups. Overall endometrial (and endometrial-like) orig in of pathological conditions was significantly more common in the stu dy group (92.6%) than in control group I(50%; p = 0.00072) and control group II (32.1%; p = 0.0000), while there was no significant differen ce between the latter two groups. These findings suggest that there mi ght be an association between postmenopausal tamoxifen exposure and th e development of such different coexisting or specific single gynecolo gical pathologies originating from the endometrium.