Endometrial carcinoma associated with adjuvant tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer: a French multi-centre analysis of 89 cases

Abstract

Tamoxifen has been used for two decades as adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. It is also now being used to try and prevent this disease in women at high risk. A series of 89 patients who developed endometrial cancer on adjuvant has been identified from nine French cancer institutes. Although there was a high frequency of superficial, generally well-differentiated forms, some patients did have aggressive disease with a relatively poor outcome and there were 10 deaths from endometrial carcinoma. These data support gynaecological surveillance of women receiving tamoxifen therapy.