No advantage in screening for endometrial cancer

No advantage exists in routine endometrial screening for patients with breast cancer who are being treated with tamoxifen, according to two new studies.

Although tamoxifen cuts the risk of breast cancer in some women, it also raises the risk of endometrial cancer. As a result, patients taking the drug often undergo invasive and somewhat painful biopsies and ultrasound examination of the uterine lining.

The new studies report that these commonly used screening methods are no more effective at diagnosing early endometrial cancer in these patients than watching for abnormal vaginal bleeding. Researchers found that with high rates of false positive results, the …