Importance of evaluation of ovarian function in women with breast cancer when using endocrinotherapy

Abstract

The randomized clinical trials showed the effectiveness of the addition of ovarian suppression to tamoxifen or to aromatase inhibitors after adjuvant chemotherapy in women younger or older than 35 years, but with at least one high-risk factor for recurrence.However, the lack of clear criteria for evaluating the ovarian function after gonadotoxic chemotherapy, especially in women in the perimenopause, significantly complicates the choice of the right tactics for endocrine therapy. Despite proven efficacy of aromatase inhibitors as part of the adjuvant breast cancer therapy in women with preserved ovarian function in SOFT and TEXT trials, this tactic requires a more differentiated approach, according to many experts.The relative factors (STRAW criteria, age, gonadotoxicity of chemotherapy) for determining the probability of restoration of ovarian function after the chemotherapy were determined using the characteristics of the menstrual cycle in women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer based on the international trials available in the literature. The introduction of these methods for evaluating the ovarian function after chemotherapy in premenopausal women into the clinical guidelines for the adjuvant management of early breast cancer may make the choice of ovarian suppression more appropriate not only from the clinical, but also from the physiological point of view.

Keywords

• breast cancer
• premenopause
• ovarian suppression
• aromatase inhibitors