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Tamoxifen and the female genital tract
A. H. N. Ugwumadu1, P. L. Carmichael, P. Neven
1Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, St. George's Hospital Medical School; Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Imperial College School of Medicine, St. Mary's Hospital, London, England, UK; Kliniek St.-Jan, Brussels, Belgium.
Abstract:
Ugwumadu AHN, Carmichael P, Neven P. Tamoxifen and the female genital tract. Int J Gynecol Cancer 1998; 8: 6-15. Tamoxifen was originally developed by Imperial Chemical Industries (England) (ICI) in 1966 as an anti-estrogenic contraceptive. Ironically, it found a role in the treatment of anovulatory infertility, but its most important application to date is in adjuvant hormonotherapy for breast cancer. Tamoxifen has a complex and poorly understood mix of estrogenic and anti-estrogenic properties with variable and contrasting effects on hormone-sensitive target tissues, such as the endometrium. This article reviews the gynecologic lesions associated with tamoxifen therapy and discusses the merits and acceptability of endometrial surveillance tests and the role of progestogens.