title: A survey among breast cancer survivors: treatment of the climacteric after breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevalence and type of menopausal treatments used by breast cancer survivors. To assess factors that impaired the quality of life of these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire assessing quality of life was sent to 325 breast cancer patients. A 66% valid response rate was obtained. Among these responses, 169 women were postmenopausal. The following results concern these patients only.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-five women were using some treatment to alleviate certain menopausal symptoms (26.6%). More than half of the patients used no therapy to alleviate menopausal symptoms, either because they had no symptoms (n = 43; 25.4%), they feared breast cancer recurrence (n = 24; 14.2%), they were advised not to use a treatment (n = 27; 16%), it had been shown to be inefficient (n = 5; 3%), or because of contraindication (n = 3; 1.8%). In this survey, 62.3% of postmenopausal women affected by breast cancer suffered from hot flushes (n = 94), of which half were severe (n = 46). Among women suffering from hot flushes, a third used various products to alleviate their symptoms (n = 30). Younger women suffered more often from vasomotor symptoms than did older women (p < 0.000). Current users of aromatase inhibitors suffered more from sexual disorders than did non-users (p < 0.001). They had more often an unsatisfactory sexual life (p < 0.01), more vaginal dryness (p = 0.01) and a decreased libido (p < 0.02) compared to non-users.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than 50% of postmenopausal women suffered from climacteric symptoms such as hot flushes, but few were taking a treatment to alleviate these symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Free Universities of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Antoine
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vandromme
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fastrez
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Carly
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liebens
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rozenberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D001828:Body Image; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D004967:Estrogens / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007989:Libido; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D017698:Postmenopause; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D004967:Estrogens