A multi-institutional study led by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center pediatric endocrinologist Charles A. Sklar has identified the incidence of and risk factors for early menopause in childhood cancer survivors. The results were published in the July 5 issue of Journal of the National Cancer Institute. [PubMed Abstract]
Because many cancer treatments can cause long-term damage to the ovaries, women who survive childhood cancer have an increased likelihood of developing menopause before age 40. Dr. Sklar and his colleagues overseeing the National Cancer Institute-funded Childhood Cancer Survivor Study examined data on premature menopause in 2,819 participating cancer survivors. Early menopause was 13 times more likely in these women than in a control group of 1,065 of their siblings who did not have cancer.
"No other study has assessed overall incidence in such a large population," said Dr. Sklar, "and with a large sample size and detailed treatment information, we were able to demonstrate risks of certain therapies more precisely." Abdominal-pelvic radiation and alkylating chemotherapy agents were the two greatest risk factors, with premature menopause occurring in 30 percent of patients exposed to both. In addition to informing survivors who plan future pregnancies, this study's findings will assist researchers in designing cancer treatments that are less likely to damage the ovaries.
