Goserelin for Ovarian Protection in Premenopausal Patients Receiving Cyclophosphamide

Summary

The use of adjuvant chemotherapy in younger women with early breast cancer (EBC) has substantially improved the long-term outcome. However, this benefit is associated with long-term toxic effects which are becoming more important as prognosis improves. These include premature menopause and infertility in young pre-menopausal women. The incidence of premature menopause depends on the type and intensity of chemotherapy and the patient's age. In women \<35 years old, the long-term (3 years after diagnosis) incidence of amenorrhea is similar to women who have not received chemotherapy, at ∼ 10%, but this increases to 50% in women between 35 and 40 years old, and can be up to 85% in women \>40 years. Premature ovarian failure has major consequences including sexual dysfunction and infertility, and the latter may be of great concern to younger patients with breast cancer and has a bearing in influencing treatment decisions in almost 30% of cases. Currently, there is no standard treatment for preventing chemotherapy-induced ovarian failure. Previous studies have suggested that temporary ovarian suppression with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue may preserve ovarian function both in humans and animal models. Clinical data are conflicting. For example, a recent Italian multi-center phase III study Prevention of Menopause-Induced by Chemotherapy: A Study in Early Breast Cancer Patients-Gruppo Italiano Mamella 6 (PROMISE-GIM6) reported that the use of GnRH analogue, triptorelin during chemotherapy in pre-menopausal patients with EBC, reduced the occurrence of chemotherapy-induced early menopause with four pregnancies after a 26-month follow-up \[one in the chemotherapy alone arm and three in the triptorelin with chemotherapy arm\]. In contrast, another trial suggested that the use of goserelin concurrently with neoadjuvant chemotherapy did not significantly reduce incidence of amenorrhea 6 months after the end of chemotherapy compared with those receiving chemotherapy alone and only two pregnancies were recorded \[one in each arm\] with a follow-up of 2 years.

Timeline

Start

2018-03

Primary completion

2020-03

Completion

2020-03

Publications

• Background Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group (EBCTCG); Peto R, Davies C, Godwin J, Gray R, Pan HC, Clarke M, Cutter D, Darby S, McGale P, Taylor C, Wang YC, Bergh J, Di Leo A, Albain K, Swain S, Piccart M, Pritchard K. Comparisons between different polychemotherapy regimens for early breast cancer: meta-analyses of long-term outcome among 100,000 women in 123 randomised trials. Lancet. 2012 Feb 4;379(9814):432-44. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61625-5. Epub 2011 Dec 5.

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