Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Jinekoloji ve Obstetrik Dergisi, cilt.10, sa.2, ss.68-73, 1996 (Scopus)
OBJECTIVE: Tamoxifen is widely used as an adjunctive therapy for patients with breast cancer patients. However, tamoxifen was suggested to be the cause of endometrial carcinoma. Our aim is to determine the effects of tamoxifen therapy on endometrium. STUDY DESIGN: Fifty-one breast cancer patients receiving 20 mg/day tamoxifen and 33 control breast cancer patients without tamoxifen treatment were examined. After examining and measuring the thickness of endometrium by transvaginal ultrasonography, endometrial biopsies were performed. 26 of 51 breast cancer patients receiving tamoxifen were reexamined at least 6 months later. RESULTS: The two groups were similar in age and menopausal period. The median tamoxifen treatment period was 24 (6-84) months. The mean endometrial thickness was 9.1±6.7 mm in patients with tamoxifen therapy where it was 5.0±3.0 mm in non-treated patients. Four of tamoxifen treated patients (% 7.8) were found to have endometrial cancer on biopsy. Twenty-six patients, who were on tamoxifen therapy, were reexamined (median) 9 (6-34) months later and neither did they have increased endometrial thickness detected by sonography nor did they have endometrial cancer, or increased endometrial pathology on biopsy. CONCLUSION: The risk of endometrial cancer detected in patients receiving tamoxifen seems to be higher than non-treated patients. However, endometrial cancer development should not be attributed to tamoxifen treatment as endometrial biopsies are not known prior to tamoxifen treatment. It is wise to evaluate the endometrium of the patients before beginning to tamoxifen therapy by transvaginal ultrasonography and perform an endometrial biopsy if necessary. In patients with tamoxifen therapy, endometrial biopsy could be repeated to evaluate the effect of tamoxifen on endometrium and the therapy should be ordered according to the result of endometrial biopsy.