title: Menstruation recovery after chemotherapy and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist plus tamoxifen therapy for premenopausal patients with breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known about the period required for menstruation recovery after long-term luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) agonist plus tamoxifen therapy following chemotherapy. In this study we investigated the period required for menstruation recovery after the therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects comprised 105 premenopausal breast cancer patients who had undergone surgery. All patients were administered an LH-RH agonist for 24 months and tamoxifen for 5 years following the postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, and the status of menstruation recovery was examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Menstruation resumed in 16 cases (15.2%) after the last LH-RH agonist treatment session. The mean period from the last LH-RH agonist treatment to the recovery of menstruation was 6.9 months. The rate of menstruation recovery was 35.5% in patients aged 40 years or younger and 8.0% in those aged 41 years or older, and it was significantly higher in those aged 40 years or younger. The period until menstruation recovery tended to be longer in older patients at the end of treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that menstruation resumed after treatment at higher rates in younger patients. However, because it is highly likely that ovarian function will be destroyed by the treatment even in young patients, it is considered necessary to explain the risk to patients and obtain informed consent before introducing this treatment modality.
authors.affiliation: Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi-kamimachi, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8610, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: Sadanori
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: Katsuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.forename: Sadao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amano
authors.forename: Motomi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shiono
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000819:agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008598:Menstruation / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017697:Premenopause; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D013629:Tamoxifen; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D015251:Epirubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D005472:Fluorouracil