Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0476089 (endometrial cancer)
 11,379 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

For women beyond the desire for childbearing, the contraceptive options are discussed as appropriate for the age and in light of risks and benefits. Reeducation and careful history taking are important. A pregnancy for a woman 40 years places a woman at greater risk for an elective abortion and greater risk of maternal mortality from abortion; low dose contraceptive use can have beneficial effects for menopausal women. Methods are grouped as contraceptive steroids (combination pills, progestin-only pills, oral preparations, implants, and injections), IUDs, barrier methods (diaphragms, cervical caps, vaginal sponges, spermicides, and contraceptive film), condoms, sterilization, and natural family planning. Empowering women means providing current scientific information and urging women to examine their lives, and to review how and why contraceptive choices were made, and the consequences of the choices. Sexually transmitted disease counseling is appropriate for women in new relationships. A positive attitude toward menopause needs to be conveyed. Combination pills at the lowest dose possible are recommended for women 35 years who are healthy, nonsmoking (or smoking 15 cigarettes/day), blood group O, and able to derive benefits from the pill. Benefits include a 30% reduction in uterine fibroids and protection against endometrial cancer, and decreased risk of ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and iron deficiency anemia. Multivitamin use with the pill is recommended due to reduced liver stores of vitamin A. Women 40 years with a parent dying of cardiac disease 50 years or with a history of hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia are not suitable candidates. 35 mcg preparations are recommended for women 35-45 years, and 20 mcg for women over 45 years. Progestin-only pills are recommended for those with contraindication to estrogen, but have a higher pregnancy rate. IUD use among older women may be difficult due to cervical or pelvic surgery; there is a higher incidence of PID and ectopic pregnancy with IUD use. Barrier methods are more successful for older women due to the changing vaginal anatomy. Vasectomy is the safest sterilization procedure.
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PMID:Contraception for midlife women. 159 31

Studies show that OCs have several benefits besides prevention of pregnancy. They protect against ovarian and endometrial cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, and ectopic pregnancy. OCs also prevent iron deficiency anemia, primary dysmenorrhea, functional ovarian cysts, and benign breast disease. They may even protect against some benign uterine tumors, osteoporosis, toxic shock syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis. Despite many concerns, some large studies have not identified an overall effect of OCs on breast cancer, but subgroup analyses showed increased risk in 30-34 year old women and in women with 1 child. A reanalysis of a large US study indicated an increase risk of breast cancer in nulliparous women with increasing use of OCs by young women. Cervical cancer is the leading cancer of women in developing countries which emphasizes the need to examine the link between OC use and cervical cancer. Several studies show an increased risk of cervical cancer. Several studies show an increased risk of cervical cancer in long term OC users. In 1 study, long term use meant 5 years. Yet these studies did not adequately address confounding factors such as smoking and sexual behavior. 3 case control studies in the US and the UK found an increased risk of liver cancer among OC users, yet a large case control study in developing countries did not find a link between OC use and liver cancer. Studies of high dose OCs found considerable increased risks of cardiovascular disease in OC users, but they did not take into account cigarette smoking which indeed increases the risk. Further health practitioners today do a more thorough job of identifying underlying medical problems before prescribing OCs. Moreover estrogen doses have fallen 10 fold since the original OCs. Finally, despite a transient delay, women who take OCs experience a return to fertility at the same rate as those who use other contraceptives.
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PMID:The safety of oral contraceptives: epidemiologic insights from the first 30 years. 160 84

The beneficial effects of combined estrogen-progestin-containing oral contraceptives (OCs) include prevention of pregnancy (less than 1 failure out of 100 regular users); the prevention of ectopic pregnancy; the reduction of preeclampsia (2.4 times lower risk compared with barrier methods); and reduction of pelvic inflammation to about one-half. The effects on menstruation include the reduction of sideropenic anemia (by lowering the incidence and duration of menstruation, OCs reduce the loss of iron to 50% or to as much as 33%); dysmenorrhea by 40% (symptoms receded in 90% of users); and premenstrual syndrome by 30%. OCs exert a favorable effect on menstrual epilepsy; reduce sports-related accidents in the premenstrual and menstrual periods; and reduce intermenstrual bleeding. The protection from cancer includes the lowering of endometrial cancer risk (every 2 years of use reduces the risk by 38%, 12 years of use by 70%, and the beneficial effects last 3-15 years); reduction of the risk of the ovarian cancer (already 3-6 months of use reduces the risk by 30%, and more than 5 years by 50% in women under 50 years of age with a longterm effect of 10 years or more, which drops sharply in women over 60 who are mostly at risk). Among other beneficial effects, they reduce benign mastopathy by 50-75%; reduce the risk of follicular ovarian cysts to 50% and the risk of corpus luteal ovarian cysts to 1/5; and they lessen bone loss which favorably affects osteoporosis. Low-dose OCs minimize the well-known risks of thrombotic and cerebrovascular accidents, myocardial infarction, hypertension, altered carbohydrate metabolism, gallbladder diseases, and liver cancer. A new OC with 30 mcg of ethinyl estradiol was tested with daily doses of 150 mcg of desogestrel. The high density lipoprotein (HDL) either increased or did not change with desogestrel: the HDL2 subfraction that protects from atherosclerosis did not change, and probably the HDL3 raised the HDL level.
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PMID:[Favorable effects of oral estrogen-progestin contraception]. 181 41

From the extensive research conducted over the past 28 years, there is a clear picture that the noncontraceptive benefits of steroidal contraceptives are considerable and the benefits outweigh the risks. The risks associated with the increased incidence of thromboembolic disease have reduced with lower doses of both estrogen and progesterone. Also, the increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma is very low, compared with the benefits. One benefit is the reduction in primary dysmenorrhea which was discovered in 1940. This occurs due to the suppression of ovulation and decrease in endometrial growth. Ovarian cysts resolve spontaneously; 3500 fewer hospitalizations due to ovarian cysts are reported for 1982. 11,000 fewer cases of ectopic pregnancy/year are a result of oral contraceptive (OC) use. Retrospective case studies have found that pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is prevented by use of OCs. This happens because the cervical mucus remains thick throughout the menstrual cycle with OC use, and thus prevents transportation of bacteria by sperm from the lower to the upper genital tract. Another reason is the decreased amount of blood flow at the time of withdrawal provides a less conducive environment for bacteria growth. 15,000 annual hospitalizations for PID are estimated to have been prevented by OC use. The data on breast cancer are conflicting, but most do not show a link between OCs and breast cancer. In fact, benign breast disease may be reduced by 23,000 annual hospitalizations due to OC use. Another benefit of OC use is the decreased incidence of endometrial and ovarian cancer. The relative risk among OC users in 1987 was estimated at P = 0.6 for primary endometrial cancer. This beneficial effect continues after OC use is discontinued. There is a 40% reduction in the incidence of ovarian cancer among OC users compared with nonusers, and is related to duration of use, but the protective effect continues after OC use discontinuation. Bone mass is increased in women who use OCs, although further study is required to determine whether the increased bone mass protects from osteoporosis after menopause.
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PMID:Noncontraceptive health benefits and risks of steroidal contraception. 257 66

The risks and benefits of using oral contraceptives are reviewed critically, considering only large controlled, statistically sound studies. Generally insufficient time has elapsed to evaluate the current generation of low dose combined and triphasic pills. The most salutary effect of oral contraceptives is an approximate 60% reduced risk for ovarian cancer, the leading gynecologic neoplasm, invariably fatal. Endometrial cancer risk is cut by about half. Both ovarian and endometrial cancer risk reduction persists after discontinuation. Pills reduce the incidence of benign fibrocystic and fibroadenomatous breast disease, avoiding about 20,000 hospitalizations yearly. Also numbers of functional ovarian cysts are reduced in pill users, eliminating about 3000 major hospitalizations annually. Pills reduce risk of pelvic infection of 10-70%, thereby lowering the potential for ectopic pregnancy: about 10,000 hospitalizations for ectopic pregnancy are said to be prevented. In contrast, pills do modestly increase the risk of developing idiopathic venous thromboembolism, by about 2.8-fold, as estimated in 1985. Due to recent reductions in steroid doses, the statistics on thromboembolism will probably improve. Pills also cause mild elevations in blood pressure, about 4 mm Hg systolic and 1 mm Hg diastolic, in 1,5% of users, which resolve on discontinuation. There are inconsistent results from studies on chance of strokes in pill users. Studies on heart attack find increased risk largely confined to smoker and older women, up to 34-fold higher risk to heavy smokers over 40. Generally in young healthy women, risk of heart attack is less than that in term pregnancy. Although there are some indications of increased breast cancer risk in some subgroups of women, most recent large studies find no association. Similarly, certain women are at increased risk of cervical cancer while using pills, although the specific risk factors have not been delineated. The risk of liver tumors is enhanced statistically, but the absolute numbers of cases are so low as to be unmeasurable. No sound evidence now exists for heightened risk of pituitary tumors or malignant melanoma.
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PMID:The risks and benefits of oral contraceptives. 264 61

This review on the risks and benefits of oral contraceptives clarifies the risks and misperceptions, and discusses 10 potential health benefits. In the U.S. where maternal mortality is about 20.6/100,000, the risk of death from pills ranges from 1.8 for nonsmokers to 6.5 for smokers. It is likely that most of the small existing mortality risk of pill use is due to thromboembolism. Atherosclerosis, the major cause of death for U.S. women, may be reduced by the pill. It is still controversial whether pills increase risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and malignant melanoma; they protect against endometrial cancer (the 3rd greatest cancer killer) and ovarian (the 4th) cancer; they may increase risk slightly in some subgroups for breast and cervical cancer, although data are conflicting. Pills also protect against ectopic pregnancy, benign breast disease, pelvic inflammatory disease, ovarian cysts, iron deficiency anemia and possibly uterine fibroids and osteoporosis. It is no longer held that orals protect against toxic shock syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis. It is estimated that oral contraceptives avert 50,000 hospital admissions per year in the U.S.
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PMID:The health effects of oral contraceptives: misperceptions, controversies, and continuing good news. 266 76

The risks and benefits of the newer oral contraceptives are evaluated, considering cancer, teratogenicity, drug interactions, cardiovascular risks, and carbohydrate metabolism. Oral contraceptives confer the lowest mortality risk of all contraceptives, except sexual abstinence, in all women under 30 and in nonsmokers through age 40 in developed countries. In less developed countries where maternal mortality can be as high as 5-10%, the risks of even nonmedically supervised oral contraceptives are dwarfed. The pill protects against ovarian cancer even after the pill is discontinued because it suppresses ovulation, and endometrial cancer because it blocks estrogen receptors. The relationship of oral contraception to breast cancer is still in dispute, but no good evidence exists for increased risk, especially with new low- dose pills. There may be a slightly increased risk of cervical cancer, although it is difficult to separate out other risk factors co-existing in pill users, such as earlier sexarche, more partners and more frequent screening. The incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease, functional ovarian cysts and ectopic pregnancy is reduced by pills. There is only 1 report of increased incidence of congenital heart disease in infants whose mothers took pills during pregnancy. Drug interactions are common, and must be managed by the physician. Among currently popular pills, only the norgestrel and levonorgestrel-containing multiphasic pills are said to decrease HDL2 and impair glucose tolerance, because they are androgenic enough to overcome the low dose of estrogen.
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PMID:Oral contraceptives: a reassessment. 267 44

The benefits of combined oral contraceptives are put into perspective, considering their effectiveness as a contraceptive, actual risks for breast, ovarian, endometrial and cervical cancer, and effects of reproductive and other body systems. Combined oral contraceptives are the best contraceptives available except for injectable progestogens, therefore they an reduce the risk of maternal mortality by at least 5 in nonsmoking western women, or over 100 in developing countries. No data are available on mortality risk of the presumed safer low-dose pills. Pills reduce ectopic pregnancy to virtually nil. They decrease the risk of endometrial cancer, and of ovarian cancer for up to 15 years after use. Although they protect against benign breast disease, both fibrocystic disease and fibroadenoma, which are risk factors for breast cancer, it is unsettled whether pills affect breast cancer incidence. Cervical cancer risk may be slightly higher. Functional ovarian cysts requiring surgery are cut about 10-fold; corpus luteum and follicular cysts are also reduced. Fibroids are decreased in proportion to duration of use. Pelvic inflammatory disease rates fall 50% during use. Chlamydial infections have not fallen in pill users, but it is not known whether sexual activity is a factor. Combined pills cut abnormal uterine bleeding by about half, reduce the incidence of iron deficiency anemia and of premenstrual tension. Seizures related to menses also are controlled. Some studies find a reduction in rheumatoid arthritis. Most of the cardiovascular complications of pills are thought to be dose related. Since today's pills contain approximately the same dose as a whole cycle of the original pills, it is expected that these risks will be greatly reduced, especially with better screening of candidates that is now the rule.
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PMID:The benefits of combined oral contraceptives. 269 95

The value of transvaginal sonography in detecting gynecologic disease currently is being defined. To evaluate transvaginal depiction of the endometrium, transvaginal sonograms were compared with conventional transabdominal scans in 29 patients whose sonograms revealed endometrial abnormalities. The two techniques were compared for image quality and ability to provide unique diagnostic information. Sonographic findings included fluid collections (16), thickened and/or echogenic endometria (10), endometrial irregularities (two), and echogenic foci (two). Clinical diagnoses included early intrauterine pregnancies (five), pseudogestational sacs of ectopic pregnancy (one), intrauterine contraceptive devices (two), endometrial carcinoma (one), and intrauterine synechiae with amenorrhea (Asherman syndrome) (two). In most cases (77%), diagnostic information was obtainable by either transabdominal or transvaginal sonograms, although in 23% transvaginal scanning provided unique diagnostic information not available with the transabdominal technique. In no case did transabdominal sonography contribute diagnostic information not provided transvaginally. The quality of the transvaginal image was judged to be better than that of the transabdominal image in 63% of cases; image quality was the same in 33% of cases and worse in 3% of cases. The results show that transvaginal sonography is often superior to transabdominal scanning in the evaluation of endometrial abnormalities. Transvaginal sonography may be the preferred technique in these cases.
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PMID:Endometrial abnormalities: evaluation with transvaginal sonography. 327 46

Circulating CA 125 levels were studied in patients with gynecologic cancer and pelvic inflammatory disease, and in pregnant women. The CA 125 level was elevated (greater than 35 U/ml) in 69% (9/13) of patients with active ovarian cancer, in 32% (7/22) of patients with active cervical or endometrial cancer, in 24% (11/46) of pregnant women, and in 33% (10/30) of patients with acute pelvic inflammatory disease. Sixty-three other patients with nonmalignant gynecologic disorders, including 15 patients with ectopic pregnancy, had normal CA 125 levels. The occurrence of elevated CA 125 levels in patients with pelvic inflammatory disease can limit the use of the assay for diagnosis of cancer in young women. Gynecologic tumors may be associated with inflammatory reactions that may contribute to elevated CA 125 levels in some cancer patients.
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PMID:Ovarian cancer antigen CA 125 levels in pelvic inflammatory disease and pregnancy. 345 53


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