1. Ovarian cancer patients and hormone replacement therapy: a systematic review.
   
2. Weight and body composition changes during and after adjuvant chemotherapy in women with breast cancer.
   
3. Energy balance in early breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy.
   

Reproductive Medicine

4. Adenomyosis and Endometriosis
   

1. Ovarian cancer patients and hormone replacement therapy: a systematic review.

Although the majority of patients with ovarian cancer are menopausal, approximately one-third are premenopausal at the time of diagnosis. Little information is available concerning the impact of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on the clinical outcomes of patients previously treated for ovarian cancer. The objective of this review is to determine whether there is any adverse impact on survival among women with ovarian cancer on HRT. A protocol was developed in advance of commencement of this systematic review. It detailed the plan for the search strategy, selection criteria for studies, and methods for data collection and analysis. No limitation of study design was made, and the details of the search strategy are described in the text of the review. Two reviewers independently evaluated the eligibility of all studies and abstracted the data. One randomized trial and two observational studies are included. Due to methodological heterogeneity of the included studies, results have not been pooled in a meta-analysis. The randomized trial presented differences between the intervention and control groups on median overall survival (44 months vs. 34 months/HRT vs. No-HRT) and disease-free survival (34 months vs. 27 months/HRT vs. No-HRT) that were not significant. Similarly, there were nonsignificant differences in survival and recurrence rates in the two included cohort studies. CONCLUSIONS: This is a comprehensive systematic review of the evidence concerning HRT in ovarian cancer patients. Until more evidence becomes available, it appears that HRT is acceptable for patients with ovarian cancer as part of supportive and symptomatic therapy.

Reference

Hopkins ML, Fung MF, Le T, Shorr R. Ovarian cancer patients and hormone replacement therapy: a systematic review. Gynecol Oncol. 2004 Mar;92(3):827-32. Review.

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2. Weight and body composition changes during and after adjuvant chemotherapy in women with breast cancer.

Uncontrolled trials have reported significant weight gain in women with breast cancer during treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy. We prospectively evaluated body composition before (visit 1), immediately after (visit 2), and 6 months after (visit 3) chemotherapy in 20 women with stages I-IIIA breast cancer [body mass index (BMI): 24.1 +/- 3.9 kg/m(2)]. We compared their weight change to 51 age- and BMI-matched healthy controls (BMI: 25.5 +/- 3.8 kg/m(2)). In women with breast cancer, there was no weight change from visit 1-2, or from visit 1-3, but weight increased from visit 2-3 (+1.09 +/- 2.46 kg; P = 0.05). Weight change was not different from controls during either interval. In the breast cancer group, the percentage of body fat assessed by air displacement plethysmography increased, and fat-free mass decreased from visit 1-2 (+2.3 +/- 4% and -2.2 +/- 4%; P = 0.02) and from visit 1-3 (+4.0 +/- 6% and -3.8 +/- 6%; P = 0.01). By dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, the percentage of body fat increased from visit 2-3 (+0.9 +/- 1.6%; P = 0.02). Bone mineral content decreased from visit 2-3 (-0.02 +/- 0.04 kg; P = 0.02) and from visit 1-3 (-0.04 +/- 0.06 kg; P = 0.005). By computed tomography, the visceral adipose to sc adipose tissue ratio decreased from visit 1-3 (-0.02 +/- 0.05 ml; P = 0.02). We conclude that, compared with controls, women with breast cancer receiving modern adjuvant chemotherapy regimens show no significant changes in weight during the first year of their treatment. They do, however, appear to undergo unfavorable changes in body composition.

Reference

Freedman RJ, Aziz N, Albanes D, Hartman T, Danforth D, Hill S, Sebring N, Reynolds JC, Yanovski JA. Weight and body composition changes during and after adjuvant chemotherapy in women with breast cancer. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 May;89(5):2248-53.

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3. Energy balance in early breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy.

Weight gain is a common problem amongst women receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer. We undertook a study to determine the causes of this weight gain. Prospective measurements of body mass and composition (skinfolds, bioelectrical impedance, total body potassium), energy balance (resting energy expenditure dietary intake, and physical activity), were determined in 17 women during and in the 6 months after commencing adjuvant chemotherapy. Women gained significant amounts of weight (5.0 +/- 3.8; p < 0.01) and body fat (7.1 kg +/- 4.5; p < 0.01) over the year. Waist circumference (5.1 +/- 4.5 cm; p < 0.01) and abdominal skinfold (16.2 +/- 10 mm; p < 0.01) were also increased but there was a decline in fat free mass (FFM); 1.7 +/- 2.5 kg. Women due to receive adjuvant chemotherapy had a greater resting energy expenditure (REE) compared with healthy subjects (n = 21); 100.5 +/- 8.0% Harris Benedict compared to 94.5 +/- 8.4% Harris Benedict (p = 0.05). REE declined by 3% during adjuvant chemotherapy (p < 0.05), and remained depressed until at least 3 months posttreatment. There were no significant changes in dietary intake or physical activity over the year. Failure of women to reduce their energy intake to compensate for the decreased energy requirement may account for some of the weight gain. Treatment of adjuvant chemotherapy causes gain of body fat because of reduced energy expenditure, and the failure of women to reduce their energy intake to compensate for the decline in energy requirement during and in the 6 months posttreatment. Since weight gain impacts on survival, patients should be counselled to reduce energy intake and exercise during and after adjuvant treatment.

Reference

Harvie MN, Campbell IT, Baildam A, Howell A. Energy balance in early breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2004 Feb;83(3):201-10.

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4. Adenomyosis and Endometriosis

In a case-control study it was studies whether there is an association exists between the histopathologic diagnosis of adenomyosis and infertility in a population of captive baboons. Necropsy records of 37 baboons diagnosed with adenomyosis uteri and 38 baboons with normal uterine histology were analysed. A chi2 analysis of the association between adenomyosis, primary infertility, and the presence of coexisting endometriosis was performed. Endometriosis was associated with the presence of adenomyosis There was a trend toward an association of endometriosis with the presence of lifelong infertility, but this correlation did not quite achieve statistical significance. Adenomyosis was associated with the presence of lifelong infertility. This association was maintained when cases of coexisting endometriosis (n = 17) were excluded. It is concluded that adenomyosis is strongly associated with lifelong primary infertility in the baboon, even in the absence of coexisting endometriosis.

Comment by Ferticonsult: This is confirming data that have been published by the group of G. Leyendecker (Darmstadt), particularly:

Leyendecker G, Kunz, G, Noe, M, Herbertz, M, Mall G (1998) Endometriosis: A dysfunction and disease of the archimetra. Hum. Reprod. Update 4:752-762

Kunz G, Beil D, Huppert P, Leyendecker G (2000) Structural abnormalities of the uterine wall in women with endometriosis and infertility visualised by vaginal sonography and magnetic resonance imaging. Hum. Reprod. 15:76-82

Leyendecker G, Herbertz M, Kunz G, Mall G. (2002) Endometriosis results from the dislocation of basal endometrium. Hum. Reprod. 17: 2725-2736

Leyendecker and co-workers consider endometriosis and adenomyosis as variants of the same disease process. This is now also demonstrated in the baboon.

Reference

Barrier BF, Malinowski MJ, Dick EJ Jr, Hubbard GB, Bates GW. Adenomyosis in the baboon is associated with primary infertility. Fertil Steril. 2004 Oct;82 Suppl 3:1091-4.

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