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Obstetrics and gynecology

August 6, 2026 · via Europe PMC

Menopause Management in Patients With Cancer.

Ward KK, Mitchem S, Harichand-Herdt S.

ReviewAbstract only — full text under license

AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only

Menopause in cancer patients should be managed with nonhormonal therapy first, with hormones reserved for carefully selected cases.

What was studied

Narrative review giving a symptom-based, risk-stratified framework from trials, observational studies, reviews and society statements.

Key findings

  • SSRIs/SNRIs, gabapentin and lifestyle measures are first-line for vasomotor symptoms.
  • Vaginal estrogen is effective for genitourinary symptoms and suitable in most gynecologic cancers; selected breast cancer survivors after shared decision-making.
  • Systemic hormones stay contraindicated in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

Clinical relevance

Helps gynecologists co-manage menopause symptoms safely with oncology.

Who should care

Obstetrics & GynaecologyGynaecological Oncology

Limitations

Narrative synthesis; much evidence is observational or extrapolated.

Stratify by cancer type and hormone sensitivity and coordinate with oncology before hormonal therapy.

This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.

Abstract

This Narrative Review provides a practical, symptom-based framework for the management of menopause in patients with cancer, emphasizing risk stratification and collaboration with oncology. Current evidence and guideline recommendations were synthesized from randomized trials, observational studies, systematic reviews, and major society position statements, with findings organized by symptom domain and stratified by cancer type and hormone sensitivity to support clinical decision making. Menopausal symptoms are common and often severe in patients undergoing cancer treatment, particularly in those with treatment-induced menopause, and management requires balancing symptom relief with oncologic safety. Nonhormonal therapies are first-line treatment across cancer types, with strong evidence supporting selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, gabapentin, and lifestyle interventions for vasomotor symptoms. Vaginal estrogen is effective for genitourinary syndrome of menopause, is appropriate in most gynecologic cancers, and may be considered in select breast cancer survivors after shared decision making. Systemic hormone therapy remains contraindicated in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer but may be considered in carefully selected patients with non-hormone-dependent malignancies or low-risk gynecologic cancers. Nonhormonal considerations-including thrombotic risk, hepatic function, drug-drug interactions, and cardiometabolic health-are critical to safe management. A symptom-based, risk-stratified approach enables gynecologists to manage menopause in patients with cancer through collaboration with oncology, supporting individualized care and improved quality of life.

DOI

10.1097/aog.0000000000006393

PMID

42561416

Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.

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