Managing menopausal symptoms in patients with hormone receptor-positive gynecologic cancers

Abstract

Young women with reproductive tract neoplasms who receive treatment leading to termination of ovarian function often suffer from menopause symptoms that contribute to dramatic drop in quality of life. Climacteric symptoms in women with iatrogenic menopause are more severe than in case of natural menopause, especially in women with reproductive tract neoplasms. They lead to dramatic drop in quality of life and are one of the main reasons to stop applying endocrine therapy in women with hormone-positive tumors, which leads to decrease in disease free survival and to decline the prognosis. The most effective treatment option for climacteric symptoms of moderate to severe degrees is menopause hormone therapy; however, such therapy is not suitable for patients with estrogen-dependent tumors in past medical history due to the likelihood risk of progression of cancer, as well as the risk of venous thrombosis, the frequency of which in cancer patients increases. Non-hormonal pharmacological and non-pharmacological correction methods are used as first-line therapy for menopause disorders in women with estrogen-dependent tumors of the reproductive system. Among non-hormonal non-pharmacological correction methods actively study such methods as acupuncture, yoga, exercise to control weight, and a diet rich in phytoestrogens. The most effective non-hormonal methods of correcting vasomotor symptoms are serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. However, currently in Russia these drugs can be prescribed only by a psychiatrist. The finding of effective and safe non-hormonal methods to correct menopause symptoms in women with hormone-positive reproductive tract tumors is the important task in practice among doctors in different specialties.