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Query: UMLS:C0476089 (endometrial cancer)
 11,379 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Estrogen therapy for postmenopausal women has received adverse publicity since the mid-1970s because several reports linked estrogens with an increased risk of endometrial cancer. Other studies indicated that the risk of endometrial malignancy is reduced when a progestogen is added to the estrogen replacement. Not all postmenopausal women need estrogen replacement. Because some continue to produce significant amounts of endogenous estrogens, many need progestogen replacement to reduce the risk for endometrial hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma. It has been well demonstrated that estrogen replacement therapy does not increase the risk for breast cancer. However, added progestogen may actually reduce the risk for this malignancy in some women. Where estrogen therapy retards the development of and helps to prevent osteoporosis, added progestogen may restore bone which has been lost by promoting new bone formation. The greatest benefit to accrue to postmenopausal estrogen users is prevention of cardiovascular disease. Concern has been expressed that added progestogen may negate this benefit by adverse effects on lipids. Side effects of added progestogen occur, but these may be managed by changing to another progestogen or adding a mild diuretic.
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PMID:Use of progestogens in postmenopausal women. 257 91

The objectives of this article on epidemiological studies of health risks from oral contraceptives (OCs) is to review major studies of the association between OCs and circulatory disease and cancer. It is also to emphasize methodologic limitations of the existing data, and to identify unresolved and important questions. A brief discourse on the nature and imputation of relative risk is provided. Cardiovascular diseases covered include ischemic heart disease, stroke, and thromboembolism. Current studies on low dose pills from 3 large US populations reveal that there is no impact of death from use of OCs. A Great Britain and the Walnut Creek study from the US found a slight but not statistically significant increase in ischemic heart disease. These studies also found a statistically significant 3-fold increase in stroke among OC users and, from another study, a 2-fold increase. These studies were based on high levels of ethinyl estradiol where the risk becomes apparent. The risk for idiopathic venous thromboembolism was 3- 8 fold for current OC users. The accuracy of these findings is questioned when the data reflect such heterogeneity. Cancer is differentiated as breast cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, malignant melanoma, and hepatocellular adenoma. For breast cancer, both case control studies as well as cohort studies found no increase in breast cancer. Future additional research will continue to explore unanswered questions about this association. Beneficial effects of OCs occur for endometrial cancer for as long as 15 years after taking the pill. Only 1 year's use resulted in a 50% reduction in risk of endometrial cancer regardless of pill dose and particularly for nulliparous women, who have an increased risk. The longer duration of use of the OCs results in a protective effect against ovarian cancer, i.e., 5 years of use yields as relative risk of below 0.5 and the results of a protective effect can be seen as early as 3 months after pill use. There is about 40% protection against ovarian cancer even with low dose pills; the effect lasts 15 years after cessation of OC use. Cervical cancer studies have shown mixed results. The human papilloma viruses 16 and 18 have been shown to be related to cervical cancer but further research is needed to identify the association with OCs. Data are inconclusive but lean in the direction of no association with malignant melanoma. Hepatocellular adenoma has not been identified in large vital statistics studies, although several small studies have suggested an increased risk. It has been shown by Fortney et al. that with a 50% increase in cervical cancer risk and a 3-4 fold increase in cardiovascular disease risk that OC use for 5 years before the age of 30 years adds 4 days to a health women's life.
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PMID:Results of oral contraceptive epidemiologic studies regarding neoplastic and cardiovascular effects. 257 54

Estrogen-producing activity of common epithelial tumors (54 cases) and metastatic tumors (4 cases) of the ovary was clinically and endocrinologically studied in postmenopausal patients. High serum concentrations of E1 (greater than or equal to 50 pg/ml) and E2 (greater than or equal to 30 pg/ml) were demonstrated in 78% in the group of postmenopausal patients. Mucinous tumors were more commonly associated with high estrogen levels than serous tumors. Patients with malignant tumors more frequently have a high level of serum estrogen than those with benign tumors. Estrogen decreased to normal after complete resection of the tumor, but returned to the abnormal range following a recurrence. The local-peripheral gradient of the estrogen level was noted by measuring the estrogen concentration in the blood of the affected ovarian and peripheral veins at the time of laparotomy. These results indicated that serum estrogen in the patient was originally produced in the ovarian tumor mass. The increased estrogen were reflected in such target tissues as the endometrium and vaginal mucosa. Proliferation, hyperplasia, atypical hyperplasia and even a case of carcinoma of the endometrium were observed in patients with ovarian tumors. An increase in the karyopyknotic index (KPI) of the vaginal smear, as well as uterine bleeding, could be an important signs of asymptomatic ovarian tumors in postmenopausal women.
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PMID:[Estrogen production in epithelial tumors of the ovary--clinical and endocrinological study in postmenopausal women]. 259 2

Estrogen replacement therapy is the most effective single means of preventing and treating osteoporosis. The most common objection by patients, the resumption of menses if the uterus is present, may be eliminated by providing estrogen and progestin continuously. An additional concern, endometrial carcinoma, appears to be largely alleviated by coadministration of progestin. Evidence indicates that concomitant progestin administration actually reduces the incidence of endometrial carcinoma to less than that in untreated women. An incidental but potentially more important benefit is protection against coronary artery disease. Optimal management includes initiation of estrogen therapy shortly after menopause, long-term continuation and calcium supplementation.
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PMID:Estrogen replacement therapy for the prevention of osteoporosis. 267 51

A historical review of the 28-year history of oral contraceptives from the viewpoint of correlation or lack thereof between drug toxic and pathologic effects seen in laboratory animals and those seen clinically is presented. Early high dose pills were expected to cause growth of uterine fibroids, but instead they had the unexpected effect of an estrogen dose-related venous thrombosis risk. Work on rats predicted that pills would cause liver cancers, but instead to slightly increase the incidence of being liver adenomas in women. Similarly, rat research predicted pituitary microadenomas. Pituitary effects in women, while rare, are thought to be due to prescription of pills to women with irregular cycles of pituitary origin. Progestins of the 17-acetoxy series were considered likely to produce breast cancers, as they had in beagle dogs. They apparently have not done so in women. They were reports in the mid-1970s that sequential pills containing 100 mcg ethinyl estradiol cause endometrial carcinoma. These pills have been discontinued. Recent evidence has been accumulating that low-dose pills containing levonorgestrel increase blood pressure and possible LDL-cholesterol. Risk of death from vascular disease, however, seems to be concentrated in women who smoke, especially those over 35.
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PMID:Oral contraceptives: significance of their effects in man and relationship to findings in animal models. 267 91

Unopposed estrogen stimulates mitotic activity in endometrial and breast tissue. Numerous case-control studies have evaluated the relationship between estrogen use and the risk of endometrial and breast cancers. In general, exogenous, unopposed estrogen use increases the risk of endometrial cancer by tenfold and of breast cancer by twofold after long-term use of high doses. Estrogen's positive effects on osteoporosis and coronary heart disease must be considered when evaluating the potential risks associated with its use in postmenopausal women.
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PMID:The cancer question: an overview of recent epidemiologic and retrospective data. 269 Jun 39

The sensitivity to medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and tamoxifen (T) and their combination was assayed in 13 patients with untreated endometrial cancer by an in vitro ATP-bioluminescence method. The method measures the levels of adenosinetriphosphate (ATP), the basic energy source of living cells. A tumor was considered to respond to the drug, if the proportion of living cells after manipulation was 50% or less from unmanipulated control culture. Estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors were assayed by the DCC-method and the results calculated by Scatchard-analysis. ER (greater than or equal to 3 fmol/kg cytosol protein) was present in all tumors and PR (greater than or equal to 10 fmol/kg cytosol protein) in 85% of the tumors. The response rate in vitro to MPA was 67% (8 out of 12 tumors), to T 18% (2 out of 11) and to their combination 69% (9 out of 13). The G1 tumors responded statistically significantly better to MPA (p less than 0.01) and MPA + T (p less than 0.02) as compared to T. MPA produced higher cell kill of G1 than G2 tumors (p less than 0.05). The ER content correlated with the effect of MPA in vitro in 67%, with the effect of T in 18% and with that of their combination in 69% of the tumors. The PR content correlated with the effects of MPA in vitro in 83%, with the effect of T in 36% and with that of their combination in 54% of the tumors. It was concluded that the in vitro ATP-bioluminescence method provides valuable information besides steroid receptor determinations for sensitivity testing of endometrial cancer to hormones.
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PMID:Steroid receptors and response of endometrial cancer to hormones in vitro. 295 89

Mechanism of action, indications, side effects and contraindications of oral contraceptive agents (OCA) are reviewed. OCA can be divided into two groups: consecutive and combined agents. Combined OCA contain both estrogens and gestagens and are taken for 3 weeks, while consecutive OCA contain only estrogens and are taken for 2 weeks followed by 1 week of combined OCA until the onset of menstruation. Biological activity of synthetic gestagens is estimated by a dosage which results in a delay of menstruation by 2 weeks. Gestagens norethindrone and norethynodrel were shown to be equally effective, while ethinodiol diacetate and norgestrel were 15-30 times more effective. Estrogen component of OCA is represented by ethinyl estradiol or mestranol. Combined OCA are more effective than consecutive OCA; probability of undesirable pregnancy during administration of combined OCA does not exceed 0.2%. The most frequent side-effects of OCA include nausea, headache, uterine hemorrhage, and changes in libido. OCA can affect the endocrine and reproductive systems. Major endocrine effects of OCA include changes in the cortisol metabolism in the adrenal glands, increase in the level of thyroid-binding globulin in the thyroid gland, changes in the glucose metabolism in the pancreas, inhibition of the luteinizing hormone releasing hormone in the hypothalamus with simultaneous decrease in the production of pituitary gonadotropins and inhibition of the ovulation. The most serious side-effects of OCA include cholelithiasis, thrombophlebitis, thromboembolism, liver adenoma, and myocardial infarction. Absolute contraindications to the use of OCA include hypertension, hyperlipidemia, breast or endometrial cancer, pregnancy, cardio-vascular diseases, liver diseases, and kidney insufficiency.
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PMID:[Principles of the use of oral contraceptive preparations]. 307 80

Estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) status was determined in 41 women with operable endometrial cancer before and after administration of tamoxifen (TAM). The first sample was obtained by hysteroscopy to ensure a precise biopsy of neoplastic tissue; the second was done on the surgical specimen. PgR content was significantly increased after TAM treatment and this data was compared with the degree of tumor differentiation.
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PMID:Changes in receptor status after treatment with tamoxifen in endometrial cancer. 323 50

Estrogen replacement therapy is effective for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and should be offered to all women at high risk for osteoporosis. Such therapy is particularly beneficial for prevention of spinal compression fractures; in addition, it alleviates menopausal symptoms (hot flushes, genitourinary symptoms, and changes in mood). In each patient, these benefits must be weighted against the potential risks of endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma, breast tenderness, hypertension, vascular headaches, and the inconvenience of menstrual bleeding if the uterus is intact. The risk of endometrial cancer associated with estrogen replacement therapy can be considerably reduced by the addition of a progestin, and other side effects can be diminished or eliminated by use of the new transdermal estrogen preparations. Thus, estrogen replacement therapy should be considered in all women who have experienced natural or surgically induced menopause, and it is advisable in women who have osteoporosis or an increased risk for this disorder and no contra-indications to its use. Estrogen replacement therapy should be instituted as soon after menopause as possible and seems to be well tolerated until at least 75 years of age.
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PMID:Estrogen replacement therapy: current recommendations. 328 71


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