The prevalence of menopausal symptoms in patients treated for breast cancer.

A survey has been performed to discover the prevalence of menopausal symptoms in 108 patients successfully treated for breast cancer. Patients were assessed by them answering a custom designed questionnaire, and the use of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale and the Greene Climacteric Scale. During the first year after treatment 70% of women suffered such symptoms; overall 60% of women surveyed were affected. Adjuvant hormonal treatment was the largest contributing factor in the development of symptoms. There was a relationship with borderline cases of anxiety, but not with definite cases of anxiety, as measured by the HAD scale. The high proportion of women shown to be affected means that treatment of menopausal symptoms should be incorporated into randomized trials of adjuvant therapy.