PURPOSE: Extended treatment with aromatase inhibitors (AIs) after tamoxifen has shown effectiveness in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer. However it is very difficult to start on AIs for patients who become postmenopausal after tamoxifen because tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) that influences menopause, confusing the menopausal status of patients. We assessed the menopausal status and hormone concentrations at the start of letrozole treatment in women with breast cancer who were premenopausal when diagnosed with breast cancer and who became postmenopausal during 5 years of tamoxifen therapy. METHODS: We evaluated 164 patients with breast cancer who received extended letrozole therapy between May 2006 and December 2007. All had been premenopausal at diagnosis but became postmenopausal during 5 years of tamoxifen therapy. Menopause was defined as amenorrhea for >1 year, serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) concentration > or =30 mIU/mL or serum estradiol (E2) concentrations < or =20 pg/mL. FSH and E2 concentrations were monitored for 2 years after starting letrozole therapy. RESULTS: The median ages of the 164 patients were 45 years at surgery, 46 years when they became amenorrheic, and 50 years at the start of letrozole treatment. Of the 164 patients, 157 (95.7%) were amenorrheic, 14 (9.3%) had FSH concentrations > or =30 mIU/mL and 113 (70.2%) had E2 concentrations < or =20 pg/mL at the start of letrozole. FSH concentrations > or =30 mIU/mL were observed in 87 patients (57.6%) after 6 months of letrozole and in 133 (88.1%) after 2 years, and E2 concentrations < or =20 pg/mL were observed in 164 patients (100%) after 2 years. Times to reach FSH > or =30 mIU/mL and E2 levels < or =20 pg/mL were not significantly related to age at surgery (p=0.836 and p=0.228, respectively), at start of letrozole (p=0.855 and p=0.357, respectively), or at amenorrhea (p=0.098 and p=0.154, respectively). CONCLUSION: Applying postmenopausal ranges of hormone concentrations observed in normal healthy people to patients who completed 5 years of tamoxifen is inappropriate, because tamoxifen itself may affect FSH concentration. Further studies should focus on identifying an indicator of ovarian function so that these patients can start extended hormone therapy.
Amenorrhea ; Aromatase Inhibitors ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Estradiol ; Female ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; Humans ; Menopause ; Nitriles ; Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators ; Tamoxifen ; Triazoles

PURPOSE: Twenty-year follow-up results of two pioneering randomized controlled trials have demonstrated equal patient survival after mastectomy and breast conservation therapy. The use of breast conservation therapy has undoubtedly provided substantial progress towards a better quality of life for women with breast cancer. Outcomes of breast conservation therapy performed at Asan medical center were retrospectively reviewed and analyses were performed to determine significant risk factors of local recurrence. METHODS: A total of 578 women with stage I, stage II or stage III breast cancer were treated with conservative surgery and radiation therapy between January 1997 and December 2002. Outcomes of local recurrence and survival were recorded. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 54.1 months, 21 patients (3.6%) developed local recurrence as first event and 10 patients (1.7%) developed regional recurrence and 19 patients (3.3%) developed systemic recurrence. Univariate analysis of the prognostic factors determined that age (p=0.005), nuclear grade (p=0.013), estrogen receptor negativity (p=0.008), lymphovascular invasion (p=0.009), progesterone receptor negativity (p=0.016) and lack of hormone therapy (p=0.005) were statistically significant factors associated only with locoregional recurrence. Results of multivariate analysis determined that lymphovascular invasion (p=0.045) strongly independent predictors for local recurrence. CONCLUSION: Age, nuclear grade, estrogen receptor negativity, lymphovascular invasion, progesterone receptor negativity and lack of hormone therapy were associated with local recurrence after Breast conserving surgery. The lymphovascular invasion was the strongest independent risk factors for local recurrence.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Estrogens ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mastectomy ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Multivariate Analysis ; Quality of Life ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors