Korean J Gynecol Oncol.  2005 Dec;16(4):288-293.

Relationship between long-term use of tamoxifen and endometrial cancer in patients with breast cancer

• Chang SJ
• Ji YI
• Kim DY
• Suh DS
• Kim JH
• Kim YM
• Kim YT
• Nam JH
• Mok JE

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To assess the relationship between long-term use of tamoxifen and endometrial cancer in patients with breast cancer.
METHODS
A retrospective review of the 897 patients treated with tamoxifen after surgery at Asan Medical Center for primary breast cancer between January 1997 and December 2002 was done. All patients had received tamoxifen 20 mg/day for longer than 1 year. In this case-control study, there were 5 patients with endometrial cancer and 15 patients without endometrial cancer. Following variables including age, parity, body mass index, medical illnesses (e.g., diabetes, hypertension), family history of breast and gynecologic cancer, and duration of tamoxifen treatment were analyzed.
RESULTS
The mean duration of tamoxifen treatment was 59 months in patients with endometrial cancer and 33 months in patients without endometrial cancer (p=0.003). There was no difference between two groups in other variables.
CONCLUSION
It seems that long-term use of tamoxifen is associated with secondary endometrial cancer in primary breast cancer patients.

Keyword

Tamoxifen; Endometrial cancer; Breast cancer

MeSH Terms

Body Mass Index
Breast Neoplasms*
Breast*
Case-Control Studies
Chungcheongnam-do
Endometrial Neoplasms*
Female
Humans
Parity
Retrospective Studies
Tamoxifen*
Tamoxifen