Effect of chemotherapy with or without buserelin on serum hormone levels in premenopausal women with breast cancer

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Buserelin.

Serial determinations of serum oestradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH) were done to assess the effect of chemotherapy, with or without a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue, buserelin, on ovarian function in 147 premenopausal women treated for breast cancer.

Why It Was Studied

Baseline mean E2 of patients treated with cytostatics plus buserelin fell from premenopausal levels and remained low while patients were on study.

E2 levels remained at premenopausal values in patients treated with CMF alone.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 147 women were involved.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults and middle-aged adults, women only.

Cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and 5-fluorouracil (CAF) plus buserelin was given to 81 women with metastatic disease, and 66 women were randomised to adjuvant cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (CMF) with buserelin or CMF alone.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Buserelin and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

What Was Measured

Baseline mean E2 of patients treated with cytostatics plus buserelin fell from premenopausal levels and remained low while patients were on study.

E2 levels remained at premenopausal values in patients treated with CMF alone.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols, Breast Neoplasms, Buserelin, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Estradiol and Fluorouracil.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of Buserelin in 147 women.

The publication is from 1991 (European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990)), a journal based in England.

More context: the Buserelin compound page, all human trials.