Adjuvant hormonal therapy and fertility preservation in premenopausal breast cancer: a survey among Italian oncologists

Abstract

ABSTRACT  Background: Increasing age of first pregnancy among Italian women with premenopausal breast cancer makes adjuvant hormonal therapy a hot topic, justifying a survey on the therapeutic approach of Italian oncologists. Materials & methods: From April to July 2012, an 11-item electronic questionnaire was submitted to Italian oncologists and 611 out of 974 invited filled questionnaires were collected from all over Italy. Results: In total, 97.7% of patients aged <40 years needing only hormonal therapy would receive both tamoxifen and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists (LHRHa); 2.3% tamoxifen or LHRHa alone. For the majority of oncologists LHRHa was also the preferred choice to preserving fertility. Conclusion: Results are rather consistent with major guidelines but with a greater use of LHRHa and aromatase inhibitor.