Meta-analysis of effect of hormone therapies on lipid levels in breast cancer patients.

Abstract

e18243 Background: Breast cancer (BC) patients with hormone-sensitive tumors often receive adjuvant hormone therapy for an extended period. How this affects lipid levels is not known. This study evaluated the relationship between dyslipidemia, a cardiovascular disease risk factor, and use of adjuvant hormone therapy among breast cancer patients. Methods: Randomized clinical trials for adjuvant hormone treatment in post-menopausal BC patients without residual cancer after primary treatment that reported lipid levels were identified in PubMed and EMBASE (N = 13). Bayesian network meta-analysis for longitudinal data was used to evaluate each drug’s effect on the mean changes in lipid levels from baseline. Key covariates were examined to determine heterogeneity of treatment effects; consistency of estimates was assessed using the arm-based method. Results: Toremifene improved all lipids more than any other hormone drug studied (see Table). Most aromatase inhibitors (AIs) did not significantly impact lipids. Age, baseline lipid value, and prior usage of Tamoxifen modified the drug effects on most lipids. However, these modifications do not change the overall conclusion. Conclusions: Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) are beneficial to most lipid profiles, but AIs do not have consistent impacts on lipids. Tailoring hormone drug prescriptions based on medical conditions of BC patients is recommended. [Table: see text]