The Change of Endometrial Thickness in Tamoxifen-treated Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Patients.
- Author:
Jin Wan PARK
1
;
Yun Dan KANG
;
Jin Woo RYU
Author Information
1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Dan Kook University, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Tamoxifen;
Breast cancer;
Endometrial thickness
- MeSH:
Breast Neoplasms*;
Breast*;
Drug Therapy;
Endometrial Neoplasms;
Endometrium;
Female;
Humans;
Pathology;
Tamoxifen;
Ultrasonography
- From:Korean Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
2004;47(6):1199-1203
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of tamoxifen on endometrial thickness in postmenopausal women taking adjuvant tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer after chemotherapy. METHODS: Fifty-eight tamoxifen-treated postmenopausal breast cancer patients underwent periodically transvaginal ultrasonography twice a year for 2 years and then once a year. We analyzed the correlation between the sonographic endometrial thickness and the duration of tamoxifen therapy. RESULTS: The mean endometrial thickness of breast cancer patients before tamoxifen therapy was 4.68 mm. But the mean endometrial thickness increased to 5.03 mm at 6 months, 5.21 mm at 12 months, after which it slightly declined to 5.13 mm at 18 months. And then it increased to 5.15 mm at 24 months, and 5.24 mm at 36 months. There was a significant increase in endometrial thickness after tamoxifen therapy compared with before tamoxifen therapy (p<0.05). Overall, proliferative endometrium was the most common histopathologic finding (5/14) in tamoxifen-treated postmenopausal women who had endometrial thickness >or=5 mm. No cases of endometrial cancer were detected. CONCLUSION: Significant increase in endometrial thickness with the duration of tamoxifen therapy in postmenopausal tamoxifen-treated patients may be associated with a high risk of endometrial pathologies in these patients.
