Short-term tamoxifen treatment in benign breast diseases.

Fifty woman patients with adenoma or fibroadenoma, cystic, simple or complex dysplasias were treated with tamoxifen in daily doses of 20 mg. (2 tbs.) for 10 or 20 days during one or two menstrual cycles (in most cases 2 successive treatments) and uninterrupted for 30 or 90 days in menopaused women. A response was recorded in the main and associated lesions as well as in several similar lesions in the same case, and therefore, the results are analysed according to the lesion surface reduction in percentage. The different responses recorded can explain why the classification into responders and non-responders is difficult to make sometimes. 64% of the cases responded to the treatment. The results are most relevant if lesions are summed up and considered by type of lesion. Subjective symptoms disappeared or improved in 97% for mastodynia and 100% for dysmenorrhoea with a general decrease in menstrual bleeding. Short-term treatment of two tamoxifen cycles can be a means to select the responsive cases. They may be a preliminary stage before further endocrine treatment or before further surgery. This medicating pattern can solve some cases otherwise fit for surgery only.

Combined tamoxifen-lynestrenol treatment in benign breast disease.

In order to avoid secondary induction of estrogens caused by tamoxifen treatment, tamoxifen was associated with the progestative lynestrenol in 48 menstrual women with benign breast disease (adenoma or fibroadenoma, cystic, simple or complex dysplasia). In one variant tamoxifen dosage was 20 mg (2 tablets) daily taken orally from day 5 to day 25 of the menstrual cycle, associated with 10 mg (2 tablets) of lynestrenol daily, only during the last 15 days. In another variant the above mentioned drugs were given concomitantly from day 10 to 15 of the cycle (according to cycle length) for 10 days. The average duration of the treatment was 4 cycles. The results are analysed according to surface percentage reduction of the main and associated lesions within the same case. In all cases of simple dysplasia, in 78% of the cases with complex dysplasia and in 54% of the adenomas, the lesions decreased to less than half their initial size, and in some instances the lesions disappeared altogether and the breasts became normally soft. Breast pain was improved or disappeared altogether in 96% of the cases. Despite its positive results the associated treatment used should be applied only in certain cases, especially those diagnozed as complex dysplasia and only in those medical units that have adequate diagnosis and treatment follow-up facilities.

The establishment and operation of a computerized data bank in benign breast disease. (Preliminary results on 297 cases).

The principles of setting up and utilization of a data bank for breast benign pathology and medical gynecology are described. In presenting these principles the authors make an analysis of the loading phases with the two afferent programs for adding, changing and wiping out information. With respect to utilization, two applicative programs for computing the efficiency of the selective hormonal treatment (regarding each and all patients) are analyzed. The paper provides the necessary instructions which enable the specialist physician to work directly with the computer. The principles are exemplified by the results obtained with a first series of 297 menstruated patients with several clinical forms of benign breast disease (unique or multiple cysts, lesions corresponding to an adenoma or fibroadenoma, mammary lumps) hormonally treated in an average series of 3 therapeutic cycles.

Tamoxifen responders selection by computerized contact thermography in benign breast disease.

Initial thermic breast values recorded by contact thermography in 29 premenopausal patients with benign breast disease were compared to those recorded 4 and 24 hours after a single 20 mg tamoxifen oral administration. Programmes worked out by the thermographic Prometheus computerized system processed the thermic values. The data obtained were analyzed and compared to the clinical effects resulting from 2 or 3 tamoxifen therapeutic cycles subsequently administered to these patients. The results obtained so far are indicative of the possibility to differentiate by thermographic means the responders from non-responders to subsequent tamoxifen-therapy for breast benign disease.

Serum and intracystic levels of thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) in women with breast macrocysts.

In 15 patients with a total of 22 breast macrocysts serum and intracystic T4 and T3 and intracysts TSH were concomitantly radioimmunoassayed (using a technique with polyethylene glycol (PEG) for T3, T4, and a double antibody technique for TSH). While in most cysts (17/22) the T4 values were under those in the serum, in 21 cysts T3 was 2-18 times above the serum values. Intracystic TSH was at the lower limit of the normal serum TSH values whereas prolactin (PRL) and thyroglobulin (TGL) assayed in several cysts were not different from their serum value. It suggests that breast macrocysts are able to concentrate or even produce triiodothyronine.