Estrogen hormone therapy use in ovarian cancer patients under age 60 at diagnosis
For many women, the effects of surgical menopause following standard treatment of ovarian cancer is an added insult. Menopause with diminished hormonal circulation can cause a significant decrease in the quality of life.
The impact of the menopause can be reduced by hormone replacement. Previously, there has been some reluctance to prescribe menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) for women with ovarian cancer due to concerns about promoting cancer spread.
This retrospective population study, using data from the BC population database together with information from the pharmacy records, looks at survival for women with ovarian cancer who received MHT compared to those who did not.
Of all the women in British Columbia aged 60 or younger who developed ovarian cancer during the period 1997-2020, about one-sixth of them received MHT. Most of these women had undergone a hysterectomy, meaning that oestrogen therapy only was appropriate.
Results from the study showed improved survival with MHT for women with epithelial and clear cell cancers. Those women who had endometrioid cancer of the ovary had worse survival if exposed to MHT.
The authors suggest that MHT is safe for women with ovarian cancer
and it may improve their quality of life.
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