First-time postmenopausal bleeding as a clinical marker of long-term cancer risk: A Danish Nationwide Cohort Study
Menée au Danemark à l'aide de données d'incidence et de registres portant sur 43 756 femmes ayant présenté des métrorragies post-ménopausiques pour la première fois entre 1995 et 2013 (âge médian : 59 ans), cette étude évalue le risque de cancer à long terme (de 0 à 5 ans de suivi)
Background : Data on long-term risk of cancer after a postmenopausal bleeding diagnosis are sparse. Methods : We used Danish medical registries to conduct a population-based cohort study of women with a first hospital-diagnosed postmenopausal bleeding during 1995–2013. We computed the absolute risk of cancer and the standardised incidence ratio (SIR) comparing the observed cancer incidence with that expected in the general population. Results : Among 43,756 women with postmenopausal bleeding, the absolute 1- and 5-year risk of endometrial cancer were 4.66% and 5.18%, respectively. The SIR of endometrial cancer was elevated during 0–3 months (SIR = 330.36 (95% CI: 315.43–345.81)), 3–12 months (SIR = 11.39 (95% CI: 9.79–13.17)), 1–5 years (SIR = 2.55 (95% CI: 2.19–2.94)) and >5 years of follow-up (SIR = 1.63 (95% CI: 1.40–1.90)). All selected gynaecological and urological, gastrointestinal and haematological cancers had elevated 0–3 months SIRs. Beyond 1 year of follow-up the SIRs of ovarian and bladder cancer remained elevated with a 1–5-year SIR of 2.15 (95% CI: 1.71–2.65) and 1.45 (95% CI: 1.14–1.80), respectively. Conclusions : In the Danish population, women with a first hospital-diagnosed postmenopausal bleeding have an increased 0–3 months risk of gynaecological, urological, gastrointestinal and haematological cancers. The SIR of endometrial, ovarian and bladder cancer remained elevated for several years.