Postmenopausal vaginal bleeding in women using hormone replacement therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the risk of endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women presenting with vaginal bleeding using estrogen-progestogen hormone replacement therapy (HRT) regimens and to assess if the duration of HRT use has an effect on the risk of diagnosing endometrial cancer.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study of consecutive women presenting with postmenopausal vaginal bleeding at a gynaecological oncology centre in the UK.  Main outcome measures Endometrial cancer diagnosis.


RESULTS
Over a 62-month period, 4847 women were investigated for postmenopausal vaginal bleeding. The majority of women (4097, 84.5%) did not use any HRT preparation at the time of initial referral and 750 (15.5%) women were using combined HRT preparations. A total of 298 (6.1%) women were diagnosed with endometrial carcinoma. Women using HRT preparations were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with endometrial cancer compared with women not using HRT (adjusted odds ratio = 0.229, 95% CI 0.116-0.452; P < 0.0001). The longer duration of HRT use did increase the risk of diagnosing endometrial cancer in women presenting with postmenopausal vaginal bleeding, but this was not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Postmenopausal women presenting with vaginal bleeding and using combined HRT preparations have significantly lower risk of being diagnosed with endometrial cancer when compared with women not using HRT.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, UK. nikolaos.burbos@nnuh.nhs.uk
Nikolaos
N
Burbos
Patrick
P
Musonda
Timothy J
TJ
Duncan
Simon G
SG
Crocker
Joaquin J
JJ
Nieto
Edward P
EP
Morris
D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D006113:United Kingdom; D014592:Uterine Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*