"Screening for endometrial cancer"
is redistributed by University
of Bonn, Medical Center
Screening for endometrial cancer
208/06677
Get this document via a secure connection
- Summary Of Evidence
- Significance
- Evidence Of Benefit
CancerMail from the National Cancer Institute
###########################################################################
!!! ATTENTION !!!
-
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has updated its cancer information
delivery services. In the future, please use the Cancer.gov web site
(Http: //cancer.gov/) to meet your cancer information needs. CancerMail
users in the United States can obtain cancer information by telephone at
1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
The NCI will no longer support CancerMail after November 2002. If you
have comments about the NCI's cancer information delivery services, contact
us by e-mail at cancer.govstaff@mail.nih.gov or call 301-496-9096.
###########################################################################
This information is intended mainly for use by doctors and other health
care professionals. If you have questions about this topic, you can ask
your doctor, or call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER
(1-800-422-6237).
Information from PDQ -- for Health Professionals
Note: Separate PDQ summaries on Prevention of Endometrial Cancer; Endometrial
Cancer Treatment; and Uterine Sarcoma Treatment are also available.
There is insufficient evidence to establish whether a decrease in mortality
from endometrial cancer occurs with screening by endometrial sampling or
transvaginal ultrasound (Levels of Evidence: 3,4,5). The risks associated with
endometrial biopsy (sampling) are not systematically reported, but include
discomfort, bleeding, infection and rarely uterine perforation. Risks
associated with false positive test results include anxiety and additional
diagnostic testing and surgery. Endometrial cancers may be missed on
endometrial sampling and ultrasound.
Levels of Evidence:
3: Evidence obtained from well designed and conducted cohort or case-control
studies
4: Evidence obtained from multiple-time series with or without intervention
5: Opinions of respected authorities based on clinical experience,
descriptive studies, or reports of expert committees
Although the diagnosis of endometrial cancer occasionally originates with an
abnormal Pap test of cytological material from the uterine cervix, this method
has been evaluated and found to be insensitive for endometrial screening.
Level of Evidence:
5: Opinions of respected authorities based on clinical experience,
descriptive studies, or reports of expert committees
Endometrial cancer is the most common invasive gynecologic cancer in U.S.
women, with approximately 39,300 new cases projected to occur in 2002.[1]
Age-adjusted endometrial cancer incidence in the United States declined
steadily between 1978 and 1988, and has remained fairly constant since 1988.
Several factors affect the interpretation of statistics for noncervical
endometrial cancer from 1978 onward. From the SEER registries, uterine tumors
are classified as cervical, corpus, and NOS (not otherwise specified). Corpus
and NOS categories are usually combined to reflect noncervical carcinoma of the
uterus. In the mid 1980s, a pathology review of cases in the NOS category
found that 11% came from the uterine cervix.[2] The practice of combining
corpus with NOS cases, some of which are of cervical origin, overestimates the
total amount of noncervical carcinomas of the uterus. Since the 1970s, the
percentage of cases in the NOS category has declined to a current level of
about 2% or less of the total cases, reducing the opportunity for an
overestimate. In addition, rates of endometrial cancer are not adjusted for
the substantial, but variable, portion of the female population that has
undergone hysterectomy. One study estimated that adjustment for age-specific
hysterectomy yielded an endometrial cancer incidence rate that was
approximately 20% higher.[3] These examples illustrate how observed trends in
the reported incidence of and mortality from endometrial cancer have been
affected by temporal factors.
In the United States, it is estimated that approximately 6,600 women will die
of endometrial cancer in 2002. The endometrial cancer mortality rate has
declined steadily from 1974 to the present, for a decrease amounting to 26%. A
transient increase in incidence occurring from 1973 to 1978 was associated with
estrogen replacement therapy, but there was no associated increase in
mortality.
In the mid 1970s, a noticeable rise and subsequent fall in the U.S. incidence
of endometrial cancer occurred in postmenopausal women. The diagnosis of
approximately 15,000 cases of endometrial cancers in excess of those expected
on the basis of the underlying secular trend, has been related to the use of
exogenous estrogen therapy.[4] In addition to the increased risk of developing
endometrial cancer that is observed in women who use estrogen replacement
therapy unaccompanied by progesterone (which appears to abrogate the risk of
cancer), a number of additional risk factors have been identified, and most
appear to be related to estrogenic effects. Among these factors are obesity,
high fat diet, reproductive factors such as nulliparity, early menarche and
late menopause, and tamoxifen use. Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer
(HNPCC) Syndrome is associated with a markedly increased risk of endometrial
cancer compared to women in the general population. Among women who are HNPCC
carriers, the estimated cumulative incidence of endometrial cancer ranges from
20-60% by the age of 70 (See the genetics summary for health
professionals).[5-7] As information about endometrial cancer etiology
accumulates, it may be possible to identify screening and prevention
interventions that are beneficial to categories of patients with specific risk
profiles. The molecular basis for extracolonic tumors in the setting of HNPCC
remains undefined.[8]
Major differences exist between black and white women in stages of endometrial
cancer at detection and subsequent survival. From 1986 to 1993, the stages of
disease at detection were more advanced for black women; for example, only 51%
of endometrial cancer cases were localized in black women compared with 75% of
cases in white women. Even though the incidence of endometrial cancer is lower
among black women, mortality is higher. In 1985, the National Cancer Institute
initiated a Black/White Cancer Survival Study designed to identify factors that
might contribute to observed racial differences in mortality for breast,
uterine corpus, colon, and bladder cancer. When the data for endometrial
cancer patients were examined, several factors were identified that appeared to
be related to excess risk of advanced stage disease for black women. Among
these factors was a statistically significant occurrence of higher-grade and
more aggressive histologies in black patients with endometrial cancer.[9]
Another study has investigated the interval from patient-reported symptom
recognition to initial medical consultation and concluded that for patients
with cancer of the uterine corpus, there is essentially no black/white
difference in this interval, making it unlikely that patient delay after onset
of symptoms could explain much of the excess of advanced stage disease found in
black women.[10]
References:
- American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts and Figures-2002. Atlanta, Ga:
American Cancer Society, 2002.
-
Percy CL, Miller BA, Gloeckler Ries LA: Effect of changes in cancer
classification and the accuracy of cancer death certificates on trends
in cancer mortality. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 609:
87-97, 1990.
-
Howe HL: Age-specific hysterectomy and oophorectomy prevalence rates and
the risks for cancer of the reproductive system. American Journal of
Public Health 74(6): 560-563, 1984.
-
Jick H, Walker AM, Rothman KJ: The epidemic of endometrial cancer: a
commentary. American Journal of Public Health 70(3): 264-267, 1980.
-
Watson P, Vasen HF, Mecklin JP, et al.: The risk of endometrial cancer in
hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer. American Journal of Medicine
96(6): 516-520, 1994.
-
Aarnio M, Mecklin JP, Aaltonen LA, et al.: Life-time risk of different
cancers in hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) syndrome.
International Journal of Cancer 64(6): 430-433, 1995.
- Aarnio M, Sankila R, Pukkala E, et al.: Cancer risk in mutation carriers
of DNA-mismatch-repair genes. International Journal of Cancer 81(2):
214-218, 1999.
-
Cass I, Baldwin RL, Karlan BY: Molecular advances in gynecologic
oncology. Current Opinion in Oncology 11(5): 394-400, 1999.
-
Barrett RJ, Harlan LC, Wesley MN, et al.: Endometrial cancer: stage at
diagnosis and associated factors in black and white patients. American
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 173(2): 414-423, 1995.
-
Coates RJ, Click LA, Harlan LC, et al.: Differences between black and
white patients with cancer of the uterine corpus in interval from
symptom recognition to initial medical consultation (United States).
Cancer Causes and Control 7(3): 328-336, 1996.
Routine screening of women for endometrial cancer is not of any proven benefit.
No screening test has been evaluated for its impact on endometrial cancer
mortality.[1,2] Published recommendations for screening certain groups of
women at high risk for endometrial carcinoma are based on opinion regarding
presumptive benefit.[3] Although risk factors include estrogen replacement
therapy unopposed by progestins, tamoxifen therapy, and genetic mutations
associated with hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer, no controlled trials have
been done to evaluate the effectiveness of screening for endometrial cancer in
reducing mortality in these subpopulations.
The Pap test, used successfully for screening for cervical cancer, is too
insensitive for detection of endometrial cancer to be used as a screening
technique.[4] Occasionally, however, the Pap test may fortuitously identify
endometrial abnormalities. Sampling the fluid which collects in the posterior
vaginal fornix, as part of the Pap test, in peri- and postmenopausal women may
occasionally lead to the detection of endometrial lesions. The presence of
endometrial cells in a Pap test from a postmenopausal woman, not taking
exogenous hormones, is abnormal and requires further evaluation.[5,6]
Endometrial aspiration has been proposed as a potential screening technique.
One study evaluating cytologic endometrial screening in asymptomatic patients
suggested that the sensitivity of endometrial cytology may approach 80%;
however, the study was compromised by the absence of a "gold standard" to fully
evaluate the false negative rate of the technique.[7]
In the setting of abnormal uterine bleeding, endometrial sampling has gained
favor largely as an alternative to more invasive procedures such as fractional
dilation and curettage; however, issues of access to the endometrial cavity and
sampling error limit the clinical significance of a negative result. The
limitations of endometrial sampling in the diagnostic setting are even more
problematic in adapting its use for screening.
Transvaginal ultrasound is used to evaluate women with vaginal bleeding but its
efficacy in screening for uterine abnormalities among asymptomatic women is
unknown. A comparison of transvaginal ultrasound and endometrial aspiration
was conducted among asymptomatic women potentially eligible for an osteoporosis
prevention trial [8] as part of determination of eligibility for randomization.
Transvaginal ultrasound was performed on 1926 women, of these, 93 had
endometrial thickness >6 mm. Among the 93 with abnormal endometrial thickness,
42 had endometrial aspiration with one finding of abnormal pathology (defined
as adenocarcinoma or atypical hyperplasia). Of the 1833 women with endometrial
thickness less than or equal to 6 mm, 1750 women had endometrial aspiration and
5 of these had an abnormal pathologic biopsy. Among this population of
asymptomatic postmenopausal women, the estimated sensitivity for transvaginal
ultrasound with a threshold value of 6 mm was 17%; 33% for a threshold value of
5 mm.
One study attempted to determine the usefulness of transvaginal ultrasonography
as a less-invasive screening method than biopsy, among a cohort of
postmenopausal, asymptomatic women receiving hormone replacement therapy.
Utilizing the Postmenopausal Estrogen and Progestin Interventions (PEPI) Trial
participants who had undergone both transvaginal ultrasonography and
endometrial biopsy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV),
and negative predictive value (NPV) were determined for women who received
placebo, estrogen alone, and estrogen-progestin therapy. At a threshold value
of 5 mm for endometrial thickness, transvaginal ultrasonography had 90%
sensitivity and 48% specificity. Using this threshold, more than half the women
would receive a biopsy while only 4% of them had serious disease.[9]
The majority of the evidence for estimating the sensitivity of transvaginal
ultrasound comes from studies using ultrasound to evaluate women with abnormal
bleeding. A combined analysis of prospective studies of endovaginal ultrasound
to evaluate postmenopausal bleeding demonstrated a high sensitivity for
detecting endometrial cancer and endometrial disease. Using a 5 mm threshold
to define abnormal endometrial thickening, 96% (95% confidence interval (CI)
94%-98%) of women with cancer had an abnormal endovaginal ultrasound, whereas
92% (95% CI 90%-93%) of women with endometrial disease had an abnormal
result.[10] Estimated specificity associated with a 5 mm threshold was 81% for
endometrial disease and 61% for cancer. Specificity for detection of
endometrial disease was 77% among women using hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
and 92% among women who did not use HRT. A negative test (<5 mm threshold
thickness) reduced the likelihood of cancer by 90%. For example,
postmenopausal women with vaginal bleeding not taking HRT have a 10% risk of
having cancer, but a negative endovaginal ultrasound reduced the likelihood
that cancer is present to 1%; a positive test increased the likelihood of
cancer being present to 57%. A comparison of sonography, hydrosonography
(sonohysterography), and office hysteroscopy for the evaluation of abnormal
uterine bleeding found that sensitivity (95%, 90%, and 78% respectively) and
specificity (65%, 83%, and 54% respectively) suggested that the sonographic
techniques were preferable to hysteroscopy as well as less costly.[11]
Abnormal results from endovaginal ultrasound require additional evaluation.
Although transvaginal sonography can be used to evaluate asymptomatic and
occult endometrial pathology, the technique has not been evaluated as a
screening method for reducing mortality in asymptomatic women.
Endometrial sampling is not required prior to or during estrogen-progestin
replacement therapy (ERT) unless abnormal bleeding occurs.[12,13]
Because the risk of endometrial cancer may be increased for women who are
treated with tamoxifen and even more in that subset of women who have a history
of prior estrogen replacement therapy,[14] the question has been raised as to
whether special surveillance is required.[15] Beyond a routine gynecologic
examination eliciting any history of abnormal bleeding, it has been recommended
that screening studies and procedures for detecting endometrial pathology in
women taking tamoxifen should be left to the discretion of the individual
gynecologist.[16] More importantly, any abnormal uterine bleeding should be
completely evaluated. The annualized risk of developing endometrial cancer
while taking tamoxifen has been estimated to be 2 per 1,000, but special
surveillance uncovers other endometrial changes of uncertain clinical
significance.[17] For example, in a series of 111 postmenopausal women
randomized to either tamoxifen or placebo as part of a breast cancer prevention
study, the prevalence of atypical endometrial hyperplasia in the tamoxifen
group was 16% compared to none in the placebo group.[18] An ACOG Committee has
interpreted results such as these as being suggestive that hyperplastic
endometrial lesions developing during tamoxifen treatment may seldom evolve
into invasive endometrial cancer. There are no data from well-controlled
trials currently available that support the use of routine annual screening for
the detection of tamoxifen-associated endometrial cancer.[19,20]
A number of clinical investigators have reported their efforts to use
transvaginal ultrasound for the evaluation of the endometrium in postmenopausal
tamoxifen-treated breast cancer patients. Repeatedly, it has been observed
that 40% or more of postmenopausal women treated with tamoxifen have an
endometrial stripe on ultrasound that is thickened beyond 5 mm, the usual
threshold for further investigation of women who are not being treated with
tamoxifen.[21-26] Although a positive correlation between duration of
tamoxifen use and endometrial thickness was observed in 1 of these studies,[21]
no correlation could be demonstrated in several others.[22,23] Although
increased thickness of the endometrium is associated with tamoxifen treatment,
1 study obtained baseline ultrasound studies that suggested
pre-existing thickness was predictive of likelihood to increase or remain
abnormal. It was observed that patients with an endometrial stripe less than 4
mm prior to treatment with tamoxifen seldom had an increase in mucosal
thickness.[24] At baseline, approximately 35% of breast cancer patients (15 of
42) prior to tamoxifen treatment had an endometrial stripe wider than 5 mm
which was unlikely to decrease with tamoxifen.
Consideration has been given to using an 8 mm threshold of endometrial
thickness in triaging tamoxifen-treated patients to further evaluation. One
study reported that the positive predictive value of 8 mm of thickness for
identifying endometrial pathology was 100%.[18] In spite of the high positive
predictive value of the 8 mm cut-off, with either 5 or 8 mm, the negative
predictive value is low. Another study identified 134 asymptomatic,
tamoxifen-treated breast cancer patients with an endometrial stripe greater
than 5 mm, who underwent outpatient hysteroscopy for clinical-pathological
correlation. Atrophic endometrium was the histological finding in 46% of these
patients.[21] The apparently high false negative rate of endometrial thickness
of 5 mm or greater on ultrasound for predicting histological abnormalities of
the uterine epithelium on biopsy was observed in other tamoxifen-treated,
breast cancer patient cohorts.[25,26]
A study attempted to evaluate the value of transvaginal ultrasound in the
endometrial screening of postmenopausal breast cancer patients receiving
tamoxifen. The endometrium was prospectively followed by TVS every 6 months for
up to 5 years in 247 tamoxifen-treated women and 98 controls. Participants with
endometrial thickening >10 mm were scanned every 3 months. After 3 years of
tamoxifen treatment, the mean endometrial thickness tripled in cases and was
significantly thicker compared to controls. Fifty-two asymptomatic patients
with endometrial thickening had hysteroscopy and dilation and curettage (D&C)
performed , which resulted in 4 uterine perforations. Endometrial cancer was
found in one case. Among 20 women who reported vaginal bleeding, 2 endometrial
cancers were found. The authors conclude that TVS has a high false positive
rate, even with a cutoff value of 10 mm for endometrial thickness in
tamoxifen-treated patients. The false positives result in unnecessary invasive
procedures and therefore make TVS a poor screening tool for the
tamoxifen-treated population.[27]
The reason that ultrasound evaluation has poor specificity as a screening test
for identifying endometrial abnormalities in tamoxifen users may arise from the
nature of a tamoxifen-associated uterine change described as tamoxifen-induced
subepithelial stromal hypertrophy. With instillation of fluid into the uterine
cavity, this lesion is observable on ultrasound as irregular subendothelial
sonolucency at the junction between the endothelium and myometrium.[26,28,29]
This finding appears to account for the many instances where normal or atrophic
endometrium is found on aspiration of biopsy despite the appearance of a
thickened endometrium on ultrasound. Given the technical limitations of
transvaginal ultrasound and aspiration for endometrial screening, it does not
appear that either approach offers an advantage in detecting endometrial cancer
over the comprehensive evaluation of abnormal uterine bleeding in either
postmenopausal women using tamoxifen or in women who have become amenorrheic
while taking tamoxifen. Also to be factored into the risk/benefit assessment
of endometrial sampling as a stand-alone screening test or in follow-up to
ultrasound is the pain and potential for complications of the procedure.
Additionally, the risk of endometrial cancer among tamoxifen-treated women
remains low. Endometrial cancers which occur in this population are very
similar to those cancers occurring in the general population, with respect to
stage, grade, and histology. Prognosis tends to be good and early detection
does not appear to improve outcome. The authors estimate that annual screening
among the tamoxifen-treated population would only result in a 0.03% decrease in
endometrial cancer mortality.[30]
One study prospectively followed 67 women with breast cancer treated with
tamoxifen. Every 6 months, participants underwent pelvic examination, cervical
cytology, TVS, and endometrial biopsy. Three of the women developed hyperplasia
while 1 developed carcinoma; each had symptoms of abnormal uterine bleeding.
The 1 participant who developed carcinoma had an endometrial lining which
measured 3 mm.[31]
Although sonohysterography (hydrosonography) is able to separate space
occupying endometrial lesions from an abnormal endometrial-myometrial junction,
evidence is lacking that routine screening sonohysterography will confer
clinical benefit.
From 1995 to 1997, women entering the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial comparing
tamoxifen with a placebo underwent baseline endometrial sampling followed by
annual screening with endometrial sampling or ultrasound.
References:
-
Pritchard KI: Screening for endometrial cancer: is it effective? Annals
of Internal Medicine 110(3): 177-179, 1989.
- Eddy D: ACS report on the cancer-related health checkup. CA: A Cancer
Journal for Clinicians 30(4): 193-240, 1980.
-
Burke W, Petersen G, Lynch P, et al.: Recommendations for follow-up care
of individuals with an inherited predisposition to cancer, I: hereditary
nonpolyposis colon cancer. Cancer Genetics Studies Consortium. JAMA:
Journal of the American Medical Association 277(11): 915-919, 1997.
-
Burk JR, Lehman HF, Wolf FS: Inadequacy of papanicolaou smears in the
detection of endometrial cancer. New England Journal of Medicine
291(4): 191-192, 1974.
-
Ng AB, Reagan JW, Hawliczek S, et al.: Significance of endometrial cells
in the detection of endometrial carcinoma and its precursors. Acta
Cytologica 18(5): 356-361, 1974.
-
Yancey M, Magelssen D, Demaurez A, et al.: Classification of endometrial
cells on cervical cytology. Obstetrics and Gynecology 76(6): 1000-1005,
1990.
-
Koss LG, Schreiber K, Oberlander SG, et al.: Detection of endometrial
carcinoma and hyperplasia in asymptomatic women. Obstetrics and
Gynecology 64(1): 1-11, 1984.
-
Fleischer AC, Wheeler JE, Lindsay I, et al.: An assessment of the value
of ultrasonographic screening for endometrial disease in postmenopausal
women without symptoms. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
184(2): 70-75, 2001.
- Langer RD, Pierce JJ, O'Hanlan KA, et al.: Transvaginal ultrasonography
compared with endometrial biopsy for the detection of endometrial
disease. New England Journal of Medicine 337(25): 1792-1798, 1997.
-
Smith-Bindman R, Kerlikowske K, Feldstein VA, et al.: Endovaginal
ultrasound to exclude endometrial cancer and other endometrial
abnormalities. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association
280(17): 1510-1517, 1998.
-
Saidi MH, Sadler RK, Theis VD, et al.: Comparison of sonography,
sonohysterography, and hysteroscopy for evaluation of abnormal uterine
bleeding. Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine 16(9): 587-591, 1997.
-
Committee on Gynecologic practice: ACOG committee opinion: routine cancer
screening - Number 185, September, 1997. International Journal of
Gynecology and Obstetrics 59(2): 157-161, 1997.
-
Korhonen MO, Symons JP, Hyde BM, et al.: Histologic classification and
pathologic findings for endometrial biopsy specimens obtained from 2964
perimenopausal and postmenopausal women undergoing screening for
continuous hormones as replacement therapy (CHART 2 Study). American
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 176(2): 377-380, 1997.
-
Bernstein L, Deapen D, Cerhan JR, et al.: Tamoxifen therapy for breast
cancer and endometrial cancer risk. Journal of the National Cancer
Institute 91(19): 1654-1662, 1999.
-
Suh-Burgmann EJ, Goodman A: Surveillance for endometrial cancer in women
receiving tamoxifen. Annals of Internal Medicine 131(2): 127-135, 1999.
-
ACOG committee opinion. Tamoxifen and endometrial cancer. Number 169,
February 1996. Committee on Gynecologic Practice. American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists. International Journal of Gynecology
and Obstetrics 53(2): 197-199, 1996.
-
Fisher B, Costantino JP, Redmond CK, et al.: Endometrial cancer in
tamoxifen-treated breast cancer patients: findings from the National
Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-14. Journal of the
National Cancer Institute 86(7): 527-537, 1994.
-
Kedar RP, Bourne TH, Powles TJ, et al.: Effects of tamoxifen on uterus
and ovaries of postmenopausal women in a randomised breast cancer
prevention trial. Lancet 343(8909): 1318-1321, 1994.
-
Wilking N, Isaksson E, von Schoultz E: Tamoxifen and secondary tumours:
an update. Drug Safety 16(2): 104-117, 1997.
-
Barakat RR: Tamoxifen and endometrial neoplasia. Clinical Obstetrics and
Gynecology 39(3): 629-640, 1996.
-
Love CD, Muir BB, Scrimgeour JB, et al.: Investigation of endometrial
abnormalities in asymptomatic women treated with tamoxifen and an
evaluation of the role of endometrial screening. Journal of Clinical
Oncology 17(7): 2050-2054, 1999.
-
Nahari C, Tepper R, Beyth Y, et al.: Long-term transvaginal
ultrasonographic endometrial follow-up in postmenopausal breast cancer
patients with tamoxifen treatment. Gynecologic Oncology 74(2): 222-226,
1999.
-
Bertelli G, Venturini M, Del Mastro L, et al.: Tamoxifen and the
endometrium: findings of pelvic ultrasound examination and endometrial
biopsy in asymptomatic breast cancer patients. Breast Cancer Research
and Treatment 47(1): 41-46, 1998.
-
Friedrich M, Villena-Heinsen C, Mink D, et al.: Ultrasonography of the
endometrium and endometrial pathology under tamoxifen treatment.
European Journal of Gynaecological Oncology 19(6): 536-540, 1998.
-
Willen R, Lindhal B, Andolf E, et al.: Histopathologic findings in
thickened endometria, as measured by ultrasound in asymptomatic,
postmenopausal breast cancer patients on various adjuvant treatment
including tamoxifen. Anticancer Research 18(1B): 667-676, 1998.
-
Mourits MJ, Van der Zee AG, Willemse PH, et al.: Discrepancy between
ultrasonography and hysteroscopy and histology of endometrium in
postmenopausal breast cancer patients using tamoxifen. Gynecologic
Oncology 73(1): 21-26, 1999.
-
Gerber B, Krause A, Muller H, et al.: Effects of adjuvant tamoxifen on
the endometrium in postmenopausal women with breast cancer: a
prospective long-term study using transvaginal ultrasound. Journal of
Clinical Oncology 18(20): 3464-3470, 2000.
-
Goldstein SR: Unusual ultrasonographic appearance of the uterus in
patients receiving tamoxifen. American Journal of Obstetrics and
Gynecology 170(2): 447-451, 1994.
-
Achiron R, Lipitz S, Sivan E, et al.: Sonohysterography for
ultrasonographic evaluation of tamoxifen-associated cystic thickened
endometrium. Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine 14(9): 685-688, 1995.
- Barakat RR, Gilewski TA, Almadrones PE, et al.: Effect of adjuvant
tamoxifen on the endometrium in women with breast cancer: a prospective
study using office endometrial biopsy. Journal of Clinical Oncology
18(20): 3459-3463, 2000.
- Seoud M, Shamseddine A, Khalil A, et al.: Tamoxifen and endometrial
pathologies: a prospective study. Gynecologic Oncology 75(1): 15-19,
1999.
Date Last Modified: 08/2002
This information from PDQ is reviewed regularly by members of the PDQ
Editorial Boards. If you have specific comments on the content of this
information, direct them to: PDQ Editorial Board, CIPS/NCI, 6116
Executive Boulevard, Suite 3002B, MSC-8321, 20892-8321, fax: 301-480-8105.
* *
The PDQ database also contains listings of clinical trial protocols and
directories of organizations and physicians who treat cancer patients,
but this information is not available through CancerMail. For more
information on accessing PDQ, consult the CancerMail Contents List.
Dr. G. Quade
This page was last modified on Sunday, 02-Nov-2003 15:59:22 CET
Impressum