The influence of hormone therapy with drospirenone-estradiol on endometrioid type endometrial cancer patients

Estrogen replacement therapy and non-hormonal medication use among patients with uterine cancer

OBJECTIVE

As the prognosis for endometrial cancer is excellent, management of the effects of estrogen deprivation has an important influence on quality of life. We examined the trends in the use of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) and non-hormonal medications among patients with uterine cancer following surgery.

METHODS

The MarketScan Database was used to identify patients 18-49 years who underwent hysterectomy plus oophorectomy and those aged 50-75 years who underwent hysterectomy between 2008 and 2020. ERT and non-hormonal treatments of menopause were identified preoperatively and postoperatively. After propensity score balancing, difference-in-differences (DID) analyses were performed to compare the pre-and-postoperative changes in ERT and non-hormonal medication use between groups. The trends in postoperative use of ERT were assessed and tested using Cochran-Armitage trend tests.

RESULTS

A total of 19,700 patients with uterine cancer and 185,150 controls were identified. Overall, postoperative ERT use decreased for both age groups and for patients with and without uterine cancer. The DID in ERT use between those with uterine cancer and those with benign pathology after hysterectomy was -37.1% (95% CI, -40.5 to -33.6%) for patients 18-49 years of age and - 10.4% (95% CI, -10.9 to -9.9%) for those 50-75 years. The DID for non-hormonal medication use between those with uterine cancer and those with benign pathology after hysterectomy was 11.2% (95% CI, 7.8 to 14.7%) for younger patients and 3.4% (95% CI, 2.9 to 4.0%) for those 50-75 years. The postoperative new ERT use has been declining over time in patients with uterine cancer in those 18-49 years of age (P = .02) and those 50-75 years of age (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of ERT is uncommon and has declined over time in patients with uterine cancer. Conversely, non-hormonal medications are more commonly used among patients with uterine cancer.

Eligibility criteria for Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT): a position statement from a consortium of scientific societies for the use of MHT in women with medical conditions. MHT Eligibility Criteria Group

This project aims to develop eligibility criteria for menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). The tool should be similar to those already established for contraception A consortium of scientific societies coordinated by the Spanish Menopause Society met to formulate recommendations for the use of MHT by women with medical conditions based on the best available evidence. The project was developed in two phases. As a first step, we conducted 14 systematic reviews and 32 metanalyses on the safety of MHT (in nine areas: age, time of menopause onset, treatment duration, women with thrombotic risk, women with a personal history of cardiovascular disease, women with metabolic syndrome, women with gastrointestinal diseases, survivors of breast cancer or of other cancers, and women who smoke) and on the most relevant pharmacological interactions with MHT. These systematic reviews and metanalyses helped inform a structured process in which a panel of experts defined the eligibility criteria according to a specific framework, which facilitated the discussion and development process. To unify the proposal, the following eligibility criteria have been defined in accordance with the WHO international nomenclature for the different alternatives for MHT (category 1, no restriction on the use of MHT; category 2, the benefits outweigh the risks; category 3, the risks generally outweigh the benefits; category 4, MHT should not be used). Quality was classified as high, moderate, low or very low, based on several factors (including risk of bias, inaccuracy, inconsistency, lack of directionality and publication bias). When no direct evidence was identified, but plausibility, clinical experience or indirect evidence were available, "Expert opinion" was categorized. For the first time, a set of eligibility criteria, based on clinical evidence and developed according to the most rigorous methodological tools, has been defined. This will provide health professionals with a powerful decision-making tool that can be used to manage menopausal symptoms.

Hormone Replacement Therapy in Endometrial Cancer Survivors: A Meta-Analysis

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of hormone therapy (HT) on the oncological outcomes of endometrial cancer (EC) survivors. A systematic literature review was conducted in July 2021 to identify studies detailing the effect size for the relationship between HT use in EC and oncological outcomes (survival and disease recurrence). This included studies that evaluated the different recurrence rates among women treated for EC who subsequently underwent HT and those who did not. The collected studies were evaluated for quality, heterogeneity, and publication bias, and a pooled odds ratio (OR) or hazard ratio (HR) was calculated with a confidence interval of 95% (95% CI). In total, 5291 studies were collated, and after the review process, one randomized trial and seven observational studies were included, comprising 1801 EC survivors treated with HT and 6015 controls. The time-dependent analysis could be conducted for four studies, and considering the disease-free survival, the pooled HR of 0.90 (95% CI 0.28 to 2.87) showed no significant differences. However, among Black American women treated with continuous estrogen HT, the HR was 7.58 (95% CI 1.96 to 29.31), showing a significantly increased risk of recurrence for women in this ethnic group. Considering the pooled OR of all included studies 0.63 (95% CI 0.48 to 0.83), a significantly reduced risk of recurrence was found among EC survivors treated with HT. Considering the type of HT, the most risk-reducing was combined estrogen and progestin therapy and the cyclic regimen. Although supporting evidence is based mainly upon observational studies, evidence of no increased risk or even decreased risk was generally found, apart from in Black American women where a significantly increased recurrence risk was evident. The data are rather reassuring for the short-term administration of HT to symptomatic EC survivors. Future studies with a longer follow-up are necessary to better clarify the long-term effects of HT.

Effects of hormone therapy on recurrence in endometrial cancer survivors: a nationwide study using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to verify the effects of hormone therapy (HT) on recurrence in endometrial cancer (EC) survivors using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) database.

METHODS

Using the HIRA claims database, we identified all Korean women who were newly diagnosed with EC and underwent surgical staging between 2010 and 2013. Patient characteristics such as age, HT exposure, lymphadenectomy, and adjuvant therapy were evaluated. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the recurrence of EC.

RESULTS

The mean follow-up time of all 5,667 eligible patients was 47.5 months. Of these, 847 (14.9%) received HT. Recurrence was seen in 446 (7.8%) patients. Univariate analysis revealed an increased recurrence rate in patients older than 50 years (HR=2.05; 95% CI=1.62-2.63), patients with high-risk EC (HR=24.51; 95% CI=18.63-32.35), and patients who underwent lymphadenectomy (HR=1.52; 95% CI=1.21-2.03), and a reduced recurrence rate in patients who received HT (HR=0.62; 95% CI=0.46-0.83). Multivariate analysis confirmed the significant increase in recurrence in patients older than 50 years (HR=1.47; 95% CI=1.14-1.89) and in patients with high-risk EC (HR=23.90; 95% CI=18.12-31.51). HT did not increase the recurrence rate of EC (HR=0.81; 95% CI=0.31-2.10).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that HT does not increase disease recurrence in EC survivors, despite lack of data that could affect the outcome.