The endometrial thickness changes in tamoxifen-treated postmenopausal women with breast ca in Basra

Abstract EN

Background : Tamoxifen is widely used to treat breast carcinoma in postmenopausal women.

Previous studies have suggested an increased prevalence of endometrial carcinoma and polyps after treatment with tamoxifen.

Objective : This study was performed to evaluate pelvic sonographic measurement of endometrial thickness in postmenopausal breast cancer patients being treated with tamoxifen during one year and after 2year of treatment and its accuracy.

Patients and method : Pelvic ultrasounds and medical records were reviewed for 48 postmenopausal women with breast carcinoma who were being treated with 20mg of tamoxifen.

They were divided into two groups first group (28 patients) of at minimum 6 month and maximum 1 year treatment and second group (20 patients) of 2 years at minimum treatment with tamoxifen.

Endometrial thickness was measured in anteroposterior dimension and was considered normal when less than 6 mm.

Results : pelvic sonograms of all 48 patients showed that 25 (52 %) of women with normal endometrial thickness measuring less than 6mm in the two groups with 18 (64.3 %) in first group and 7 (35 %) in second group and abnormal endometrial thickening measuring more than 6 mm in the two groups about 23 patients (48 %) with 10(35.7 %) in first group and 13 (65 %) in second group in which the sonographic appearance of the endometrium included cystic lesion in 2 patient (15.4 %) and 11 patient (84.6 %) without cystic lesion.

Conclusion : Only pelvic ultrasounds were done for endometrial evalution and the late complication are increased because of poor investigations being done to those patients in Basrah with breast carcinoma.

A positive pelvic ultrasound result is of little value, so further testing is mandatory in order to detect benign and malignant endometrial disease associated with tamoxifen.