Hot flashes in postmenopausal women treated for breast carcinoma

Abstract

BACKGROUND Research on hot flashes (HFs) after the diagnosis and treatment of breast carcinoma (BC) is scarce. To our knowledge, this research represents the second study of HF prevalence and severity in women with BC and the first study of 1) correlates of HF prevalence and severity, 2) use of HF management strategies, and 3) the relation between HFs and quality of life (QOL) among women with BC. METHODS Eligible women (n = 136) participated in structured telephone interviews. RESULTS Of the 114 postmenopausal women interviewed, 65% reported HFs, with 59% of women with HFs (n = 74) rating the symptom as severe. Multivariate analysis revealed that 1) HFs were most common in women with a high school education or less and those who were younger at diagnosis and 2) HFs were most severe in women with a higher body mass index, those who were younger at diagnosis, and those receiving tamoxifen. Among women with HFs, 37% were not using any HF management strategies and 63% expressed interest in learning more regarding ≥1 strategy. HFs marginally were related to decreased mental and physical QOL using the SF-12 Health Survey (P < 0.10). CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study significantly contribute to knowledge regarding HFs in women with BC and support the need for carefully controlled clinical trials evaluating interventions for relieving HFs in this population. Cancer 1998;82:1682-91. © 1998 American Cancer Society.