Department of Oncological and Regenerative Surgery, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan.
World J Surg Oncol. 2009 Nov 12;7:88. doi: 10.1186/1477-7819-7-88.
Aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy is being extensively used as postoperative adjuvant therapy in patients with hormone receptor-positive postmenopausal breast cancer. On the other hand, it has been reported that ovarian function was restored when AI was administered to patients who had undergone chemical menopause with chemotherapy or tamoxifen. However, there have been no reports of comprehensive monitoring of estradiol (E2) in breast cancer patients with ordinary menopause who were being administered AI.
Beginning in March 2008, regular monitoring of the serum levels of E2, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) was performed for 66 postmenopausal breast cancer patients who had been started on AI therapy. For this study, we chose anastrozole as the AI. The assays of those hormones were outsourced to a commercial clinical laboratory.
In 4 of the 66 patients the serum E2 level was decreased at 3 months but had then increased at 6 months, while in 2 other patients E2 was decreased at both 3 and 6 months but had increased at 9 months.
The results indicate that, in some breast cancer patients with ordinary menopause, E2 rebounds following AI therapy. In the future, E2 monitoring should be performed for a larger number of patients being administered AI therapy.
Our trial registration number is 19-11-1211.
芳香化酶抑制剂（AI）治疗被广泛用于激素受体阳性绝经后乳腺癌患者的术后辅助治疗。另一方面，据报道，在接受化疗或他莫昔芬治疗的化学绝经患者中使用 AI 时，卵巢功能得到了恢复。然而，对于正在接受 AI 治疗的普通绝经乳腺癌患者，尚未有关于雌二醇（E2）的全面监测的报告。
从 2008 年 3 月开始，对 66 名开始接受 AI 治疗的绝经后乳腺癌患者的血清 E2、黄体生成素（LH）和卵泡刺激素（FSH）水平进行了 6 个月的定期监测。对于这项研究，我们选择阿那曲唑作为 AI。这些激素的检测外包给了一家商业临床实验室。
在 66 名患者中，有 4 名患者的血清 E2 水平在 3 个月时降低，但在 6 个月时升高，另外 2 名患者在 3 个月和 6 个月时降低，但在 9 个月时升高。
结果表明，在一些普通绝经的乳腺癌患者中，AI 治疗后 E2 会反弹。未来，应该对更多接受 AI 治疗的患者进行 E2 监测。
我们的试验注册号是 19-11-1211。
