Hormone replacement therapy after treatment for breast cancer: physicians' attitudes towards randomized trials.
OBJECTIVE
Physician support is required for successful patient recruitment to a large randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to determine the safety and benefits of short-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after breast cancer (BC).


METHODS
A survey was mailed to 1899 Canadian gynaecologists, family physicians, medical, radiation and surgical oncologists to assess willingness to refer patients to an RCT of HRT after BC.


RESULTS
Of 538 physicians, 420 (78%) reported that they would be willing to refer a woman after BC to an RCT of HRT versus placebo. Variables predicting willingness to refer included: support for HRT in well women (p = 0.04) and after BC (p = 0.0001); support for clinical trials (p = 0.0001); ongoing BC trials at the physicians' institution (p = 0.003); currently prescribing HRT to women after BC (p = 0.03); and beneficial results in ongoing RCTs of HRT in well women (p = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
An RCT of short-term HRT after BC may be feasible among Canadian physicians.
Del Giudice
M E
ME
Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Sawka
C A
CA
Pritchard
K I
KI
Llewellyn-Thomas
H A
HA
Trudeau
M E
ME
Lewis
J E
JE
Franssen
E
E
D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000009:adverse effects; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008593:Menopause / Q000187:drug effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012017:Referral and Consultation
D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal