title: Tibolone therapy in breast cancer survivors: a retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate a possible relationship between tibolone therapy and recurrence or mortality in breast cancer survivors.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a retrospective study, data from files of 247 patients who had been treated for breast cancer were analyzed. Twenty women were treated with tibolone because of menopausal symptoms (Group 1: mean duration of tibolone use 37.1 months). One hundred and one women who did not take tibolone were selected as the control group (Group 2). All women were followed up in our Department on our standard protocol (mean follow up: 73.4 months in Group 1, 67.4 months in Group 2). Comparison of the survival curves was applied with the Wilcoxon (Gehan) statistic. Cox regression analysis was also applied in order to identify significant coefficients in the survival curve.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recurrence of breast cancer was observed in two (10%) Group 1 women versus 21 (21%) Group 2 women (P = NS). Two Group 1 women died (one from breast cancer recurrence) versus 15 Group 2 women (14 from breast cancer recurrence).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite of the inherent limitations of this small retrospective study, it seems that tibolone does not reveal an apparent negative impact on breast cancer outcome when given to breast cancer survivors.
authors.affiliation: Fourth Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hippocration General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Michalis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goutzioulis
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vavilis
authors.forename: Theodoros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Agorastos
authors.forename: Theodoros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Konstantinidis
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pantazis
authors.forename: Antonios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goutzioulis
authors.forename: Dimitrios G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Goulis
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Makedos
authors.forename: John N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Bontis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D044584:Carcinoma, Ductal / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009652:Norpregnenes / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017741:Survivors
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D009652:Norpregnenes; C027385:tibolone