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

Symptoms due to estrogen deficiency begin in the perimenopausal years and progress as serum levels of this hormone decrease Vasomotor instability, manifested by hot flushes or night sweats, may persist for several months to a few years. Psychologic symptoms include anxiety, tension, depression, insomnia, palpitations, and headaches. Atrophy of the genital epithelium may result in senile vaginitis with symptoms of irritation, burning, pruritus, dyspareunia, and even vaginal bleeding. Even the lower urinary tract mucosa is dependent upon estrogen. Postmenopausal osteoporosis affects 25 to 50% of older women and increases the risk for vertebral, hip, and other fractures. Estrogen therapy for menopausal complaints has received adverse publicity because several reports have indicated that unopposed estrogens increase the risk of endometrial cancer. Added progestogen not only negates this risk but reduces the incidence of endometrial adenocarcinoma in estrogen-progestogen users to less than that observed in untreated women. Estrogen replacement therapy does not increase the risk of breast cancer; the incidence of this malignancy, however, was also less in the estrogen-progestogen users when compared with either the untreated women or from that expected from the national cancer surveys. In evaluating postmenopausal women for hormone replacement, the benefits of estrogen-progestogen therapy must be weighed against possible risks.
 ...
PMID:The menopause. 351 23

Treatment with oestrogens in the perimenopause can regulate dysfunctional uterine bleeding and positively influence unpleasant subjective feelings such as sweating, dizziness, nervousness and lack or incapability of concentration. Oestrogens are especially successful in reactive depression and in the therapy of insomnia. Their positive effect on atrophic changes of the genitalia and in combating urge incontinence is also of therapeutic importance. Of particular socio-medical importance is their beneficial effect on postmenopausal osteoporosis. Side effects like weight gain, increase in blood pressure or changes in coagulation parameters are not observed during therapy with natural oestrogens in the usual doses. The incidence of thrombosis, embolism and myocardial infarction is not increased when oestrogens are given in the perimenopause. The controversy with respect to an increased incidence of endometrial carcinoma after long-term therapy with oestrogens may be based on an incorrect mode of administration as used on the Anglo-American scene. Excess dosage, continuous instead of intermittent therapy, lack of addition of progestational agents and a neglect of contraindications and risk factors may have led to the 3- to 8-fold increased incidence of endometrial carcinoma after oestrogen therapy in the studies from these areas.
 ...
PMID:[Advances and risks in estrogen therapy in the perimenopause]. 665 19

In western countries more than 30% of the female population are postmenopausal. Approximately 30% of postmenopausal women suffer from clinical symptoms of the climacteric such as vasomotor symptoms, associated with hot flushes, night sweat, insomnia and depressive mood. Sufficient hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) will abolish specific menopausal symptoms in over 90% of patients, unspecific symptoms such as headache respond to placebo and HRT equally well. The question of cancer risk related to HRT will be addressed in this review. In combination with progestins, estrogens are obviously protective regarding ovarian and endometrial cancer. The association between HRT and breast cancer risk is presently unclear. Epidemiological data available so far do not provide compelling evidence as to a cause and effect relationship between HRT and breast cancer risk. There seems to be an overall trend towards a slightly increased risk with increasing duration of HRT use. Guidelines for HRT use in women with a history of endometrial and breast cancer are provided in this article.
 ...
PMID:Benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). 762 55

Melatonin is a hormone synthesized in the pineal gland from tryptophan. It participates in several biological processes in the human being, such as circadian sleep rhythm, mood, reproductive processes and aging. Melatonin serum levels are increased in childhood and diminish importantly in older people. Serum levels are diminished in patients with insomnia and depressive mood. Experimentally, the melatonin inhibits the growth of mammary tumors in animals. With respect to endometrial cancer and Alzheimer's disease, the information is not conclusive. No changes have been found in melatonin levels in climacterical women. So its use has not fundament in postmenopausal women, however it can only be administered for short periods of time for the treatment of some sleep disturbances.
 ...
PMID:Melatonin and climactery. 1120 81

Treatment of gynecological cancer has significant impact on a woman's quality of life because it commonly includes removal of the uterus and ovaries, both being the core of a woman's femininity, whilst irradiation and chemotherapy, be they as primary therapy or when indicated as postoperative adjuvant therapy, will lead to ablation of ovarian function if the ovaries had not been removed. This will lead to an acute onset of menopausal symptoms, which may be more debilitating than those occurring as a result of natural aging, and of which hot flushes, night sweats, insomnia, mood swings, vaginal dryness, decreased libido, malaise and a general feeling of apathy are the most common. About 25% of gynecological cancers will occur in pre- and perimenopausal women, a large percentage of whom will become menopausal as a result of their treatment. There are also the gynecological cancer survivors who are not rendered menopausal as a result of the treatment strategy but who will become menopausal because of natural aging. Concern among the medical attendants of these women is whether use of estrogen therapy or estrogen and progestogens for their menopausal symptoms will reactivate tumor deposits and therefore increase the rate of recurrence and, as a result, decrease overall survival among these women. Yet the data that are available do not support this concern. There are eight retrospective studies and only one randomized study that have analyzed outcome in endometrial cancer survivors who used hormone therapy after their surgery, whilst, among ovarian cancer survivors, there are four retrospective studies and one randomized study. The studies do suffer from small numbers and, although the studies pertaining to endometrial cancer analyze mostly women with early-stage disease, a number of the studies in both the endometrial and ovarian cancer survivors do have a sizeable follow-up. These studies seem to support that estrogen therapy after the treatment for gynecological cancer does not impact negatively on outcome in endometrial and ovarian cancer survivors and that estrogen therapy can be considered as a plausible therapeutic option in survivors who are debilitated by their menopausal symptoms. It is prudent not to offer estrogen therapy to survivors of endometrial stromal sarcoma and women with granulosa cell tumors of the ovaries. Vulval, vaginal and cervical cancers are not considered hormone-dependent and therefore estrogen therapy can be given.
 ...
PMID:Estrogen therapy in gynecological cancer survivors. 2395 24