Menopausal symptoms in women with breast cancer: Prevalence and treatment preferences
Abstract
Menopausal symptoms are common and problematic for women receiving adjuvant treatment for breast cancer and management presents a challenge. This cross‐sectional descriptive study aimed to investigate the experience of menopausal symptoms, current management and treatment preferences of 113 patients with breast cancer. These women (who were prescribed tamoxifen and were on average 3 years post‐diagnosis) were recruited from a breast unit database. They completed the Hot Flush and Night Sweats Questionnaire (HFNSQ), the Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ) and subscales of the EORTC‐QLQ‐C30 and the BR23, as well as questions about treatments. Forty‐four of this sample were also interviewed. The prevalence of hot flushes and night sweats was 80 and 72%, respectively (average 30 per week). Having more problematic hot flushes and night sweats were associated with more anxiety and sleep problems (WHQ), and with poorer emotional and social functioning and worse body image (EORTC‐QLQ‐C30). The women had used a range of treatments for menopausal symptoms but there was often no evidence for the efficacy for many of these treatments. Strongest preferences were for non‐medical treatments, particularly vitamins and herbal remedies and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The evidence for the effectiveness of the former is weak, whereas CBT has been shown to reduce menopausal symptoms, but needs to be evaluated in a population of women who have been treated for breast cancer. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Common side-effects of HT include hot flushes and night sweats, which affect up to 85% of women treated for breast cancer.
“Common side-effects include hot flushes and night sweats, which affect up to 85% of women treated for breast cancer [16]”
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- Authors
- Hunter, M. S., Grunfeld, E. A., Mittal, S., Sikka, P., Ramirez, A., Fentiman, I., & Hamed, H.
- Affiliations
- King's College London (GB)
- Guy's Hospital (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Hunter, Myra S
- Venue
- Psycho-Oncology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2004-11
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 769-778
- ISSN
- 1057-9249 (ISSN-L)
- 1099-1611
- OpenAlex
- W2086725568
- Cited by
- 105
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 2.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psycho-Oncology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Menopause: Health Impacts and Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Sexual function and dysfunction studies
- Keywords
- menopausal symptoms, breast cancer, hot flashes, night sweats, tamoxifen, treatment preferences, anxiety, sleep disorders, body image, quality of life, cognitive behavioral therapy, herbal medicine, vitamins, adjuvant therapy
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attitude to Health, Breast Neoplasms, Choice Behavior, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Menopause, Middle Aged, Surveys and Questionnaires, Health Behavior, Prevalence
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