Dr Rose Joyce Culhane1, Dr Alexandra Zaborowski1, Prof ADK Hill1, Dr Niamh Smyth1
1Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Australia
Biography:
I am a 28 year old resident medical officer currently working in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at King Edward’s memorial Hospital in Perth, with a strong interest in menopause and hormone therapy. I qualified as a doctor in Ireland in 2023, and whilst working in a gynaecology job in Dublin in 2024, I conducted extensive research into menopause hormone therapy (MHT) use in breast cancer survivors and published a narrative review on the topic. Building on this foundation, I would love to present my results from a feasibility study in this area at your conference this September.
Abstract:
Aims:
Evaluate the severity and burden of menopause in breast cancer survivors. Examine their willingness to take MHT in the context of a clinical trial.
Methods:
Demographics were collected from Beaumont Hospital records of breast cancer patients with an oncotype of less than 26, aged 50-70, who underwent surgery between 2014-2023. All eligible women were telephoned and asked to fill out an anonymous questionnaire regarding their menopausal symptoms and their opinion on hypothetically participating in a randomised control trial (RCT) investigating the risks and benefits of MHT.
Results:
101 questionnaires were completed. Hot flushes were affecting 68.8% (64/93) of the group and 61.6% (61/99) reported their menopausal symptoms were affecting their quality of life. 27.6% (27/98) said they would be willing to take MHT in the context of a RCT. Of those who would not, 30.8% (24/78) reported this is due to fear of breast cancer recurrence.
Conclusion:
The lives of breast cancer survivors can be very negatively impacted by menopausal symptoms. This questionnaire outlines the burden of menopause and the opinions of MHT use in breast cancer patients will a low oncotype. This data shows that some patients may be willing to participate in future research in this area.