Urogenital disorders in women with adjuvant endocrine therapy after early breast cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence of urogenital symptoms and vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal breast cancer patients on adjuvant endocrine therapy.


METHODS
A population-based, cross-sectional study on postmenopausal breast cancer patients on adjuvant endocrine treatment and age-matched control subjects. Vaginal atrophy was assessed by gynecologic examination and atrophy-related symptoms by validated questionnaires.


RESULTS
In all, 57.6% of aromatase inhibitor-treated and 32.4% of tamoxifen-treated breast cancer patients rated at least 1 vaginal atrophy symptom as moderate/severe, which was significantly more common than in control subjects (P < .01). Aromatase inhibitor-treated patients more often had moderate or severe vaginal atrophy (P < .05), a more atrophic cytohormonal evaluation, and significantly higher vaginal pH (P < .05) than all control subjects, irrespective of hormonal use.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate that the frequency of vaginal atrophy symptoms, particularly in aromatase inhibitor-treated women, might have been underestimated in previous clinical trials.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Örebro University Hospital, Sweden.
Juliane
J
Baumgart
Kerstin
K
Nilsson
Anneli
A
Stavreus-Evers
Kristiina
K
Kask
Kenneth
K
Villman
Henrik
H
Lindman
Theodora
T
Kallak
Inger
I
Sundström-Poromaa
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001284:Atrophy / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D013546:Sweating; D013548:Sweden; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000139:chemically induced; D014621:Vagina / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology
D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D013629:Tamoxifen