Post-menopausal bleeding - Is transvaginal ultrasound a useful first-line investigation in tamoxifen users?

Female reproductive health in pediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors

An estimated 500,000 cancer survivors of reproductive age in the United States will live to experience the long-term consequences of cancer treatment. Therefore, a focused aspect of cancer care has appropriately shifted to include quality of life in survivorship. Infertility is a late effect of therapy that affects 12% of female survivors of childhood cancer receiving any cancer treatment in large cohort studies and results in a 40% decreased likelihood of pregnancy in young adults of ages 18-39 years. Nonfertility gynecologic late effects such as hypoestrogenism, radiation-induced uterine and vaginal injury, genital graft-versus-host disease after hematopoietic stem cell transplant, and sexual dysfunction also significantly affect quality of life in survivorship but are underdiagnosed and require consideration. Several articles in the special edition "Reproductive Health in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship" address infertility, genital graft-versus-host disease, and psychosexual functioning in survivorship. This review article focuses on other adverse gynecologic outcomes of cancer therapies including hypogonadism and hormone replacement therapy, radiation-induced uterovaginal injury, vaccination and contraception, breast and cervical cancer screening, and pregnancy considerations in survivorship.

Comparison of three biopsy forceps for hysteroscopic endometrial biopsy in postmenopausal patients (HYGREB-1): A multicenter, single-blind randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

To compare three types of biopsy forceps for hysteroscopic endometrial biopsy in postmenopausal women.

METHODS

Postmenopausal women undergoing operative hysteroscopy with endometrial biopsy for abnormal uterine bleeding or endometrial thickness (≥5 mm) were included. Operative hysteroscopy with endometrial biopsy was performed by hysteroscopic forceps. Women were randomized (1:1:1 ratio) in three groups and allocated to undergo endometrial biopsy by hysteroscopy using spoon, alligator, or snake forceps.

RESULTS

Seventy-five women were included in the study, 25 in each group. The duration of the biopsy was comparable between the three groups (P = 0.334) with a median of 180 seconds (range 20-480 seconds). No differences were observed about the number of attempts (P = 0.602), the use of another instrument (P = 0.276), and the biopsy appropriateness (P = 0.592). The spoon forceps group reported higher levels of pain compared to the alligator and snake forceps groups (P < 0.001). The spoon forceps received significantly lower scores by the operator compared to the alligator and snake forceps (P < 0.001). The alligator and snake forceps reported wider biopsy than the spoon forceps (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Snake and alligator hysteroscopic forceps may be considered the first choice to perform an endometrial biopsy in postmenopausal women. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03427957.

Effects of ‎tamoxifen on the reproductive system of female breast cancer patients: an ultrasound-based cohort study

Background: Tamoxifen (TMX) is regarded as standard treatment for breast cancer (BC) patients‎. In recent years, several studies have reported gynecological side effects and due to TMX's estrogenic effects. Here, we evaluate the side effects of TMX on the ‎endometrium and ovaries of female BC patients. Methods: This was an ultrasound-based cohort study conducted in three oncology centers in Baghdad, Iraq. A total of ‎‎255 female patients were included, 140 premenopausal (PreM) and 115 postmenopausal (PostM), with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive BC using TMX adjuvant hormonal treatment for at least three months after surgery and adjuvant ‎chemo/radiotherapy.‎ Ultrasound (US) on the endometrium and ovaries of the women following ‎BC surgery/chemotherapy (baseline) and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months following was performed‎. Data collected included age, menopausal status, co-morbid chronic illness and medications, including duration of TMX treatment. Results: Presence of ovarian cyst was significantly higher in the PreM ‎compared to PostM ‎women, while there were no significant differences for other gynecological findings.‎ At ‎baseline, endometrial thickness (ET) was significantly higher in the PreM compared to the PostM women. In both groups, women with increased ET became more frequent from baseline to 3 ‎months, from 3 to 6 ‎months, from 6 to 12 months, and from 12 ‎ to 24 months. At all time periods, ‎women with increased ET was ‎significantly higher in the PostM compared PreM women, resulting ‎in a risk of ET increase by 6 folds (ranging from 3 – ‎‎11 folds) ‎in PostM compared to PreM women. Conclusions: Longer duration of TMX is associated with increased ET. Duration of TMX did not appear to increase the risk of various gynecological outcomes, for example endometrial cancer rate was low. Finally, there was an increase in ET, which appeared to be six-folds higher in PostM compared to PreM women.‎

Role of imaging in the routine management of endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in women today. It is surgically staged, and while surgery is the primary treatment modality, the identification of disease extent-in particular extrauterine spread-prior to surgery is important to optimize treatment decision making. Ultrasound and MRI are useful for evaluating the extent of local disease, while CT and PET are used for detecting lymph node or distant metastases. Diffusion-weighted MRI has also been used for detecting small metastatic deposits in lymph nodes and omentum. Extrauterine soft tissue involvement can be detected by ultrasound, CT, MRI, and PET. Recently, intraoperative visualization techniques, such as sentinel lymph node mapping, are increasingly used to avoid extensive surgical staging without compromising treatment. Imaging is also used for planning adjuvant treatment and detection of postoperative residual disease in high-risk patients, monitoring and detecting recurrent disease, and in post-treatment surveillance of asymptomatic patients with high risk of relapse.