Assessment of thickened endometrium in tamoxifen therapy

Aim of this study was to evaluate role of hysteroscopy in thickened endometrium (>5 mm) associated with tamoxifen therapy.

We performed dilatation and curettage (D&C) and hysteroscopic biopsy to patients for evaluation of thickened endometrium in tamoxifen therapy. One hundred and nine asymptomatic patients with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer treated with tamoxifen 20 mg daily. We performed hysteroscopic biopsy or D&C to patients who have thickened endometrium at transvaginal sonography. We correlate pathology report results of D&C and hysteroscopic biopsy.

Fifty-nine of 103 patients have thickened endometrium.Thirty-five of 59 patients diagnosed with D&C (19 inactive endometrium, 15 endometrial polyp, 1 endometrial hyperplasia). D&C couldn't get material 24 of these patients. Hysteroscopic biopsy diagnosed endometrial polyp 11 (45.8%) of these patients.

We can state that D&C does not seem accurate enough for detection of intrauterin pathologies in thickened endometrium associated with tamoxifen therapy. We therefore believe it is reasonable to perform hysteroscopic biopsy in asymptomatic tamoxifen treated patients who have thickened endometrium.