title: Menopausal symptoms in breast cancer survivors nearly 6 years after diagnosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms, nearly 6 years from diagnosis, in women who had not experienced recurrent breast cancer or a new primary breast cancer (active disease) and were no longer taking oral adjuvant endocrine therapy (OAET).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1,683 women recruited within 12 months of diagnosis with invasive breast cancer completed an enrollment questionnaire and five annual follow-up questionnaires. Only women who had never reported active disease and were not taking OAET at their fifth follow-up were included in the analysis. Women previously recruited to a study of sex steroid levels provided community control data. Menopausal symptoms were assessed with the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MenQOL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight hundred forty-three women without active disease and not taking OAET completed the fifth follow-up questionnaire, on average, 5.8 years after diagnosis. Most had stage I (59.5%) and hormone receptor-positive disease (77.9%) at diagnosis and were postmenopausal (92.8%). Those aged 50 to 59 years were more likely to report any symptoms (P = 0.01) and more severe symptoms (P < 0.001) than older and younger women. There was no independent impact of chemotherapy on MenQOL vasomotor and sexual domain scores. Women with breast cancer had significantly higher vasomotor domain (P ≤ 0.002) and sexual domain (P ≤ 0.004) scores than community controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vasomotor and sexual symptoms are highly prevalent in breast cancer survivors and are not simply a function of OAET or chemotherapy. Given the adverse impact of these symptoms, effective interventions are needed to alleviate them in women who have completed their breast cancer treatment.
authors.affiliation: From the Women's Health Research Program, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Susan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Panjari
authors.forename: Penelope J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fradkin
authors.forename: Robin J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis; D060728:Reproductive Health; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone