Recurrence-Free Survival after Postoperative Hormone Therapy for Catamenial Pneumothorax

Abstract

Background: Catamenial pneumothorax (CP) is a rare form of spontaneous pneumothorax that is linked to endometriosis; thus, it predominantly manifests in women of reproductive age. Considerable research has explored the potential benefits of postoperative hormone therapy following various surgical interventions. This study was performed to examine the clinical implications of postoperative hormone treatment in patients with CP.

Methods: The study included patients who underwent surgical intervention for CP between November 2009 and February 2023. These procedures included wedge resection, diaphragm resection, and total pleural coverage. Recurrence-free survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier log-rank test to assess the impact of hormone therapy. Additionally, Cox proportional hazards analysis was employed to identify risk factors associated with postoperative CP recurrence.

Results: The study included 41 patients, with a median age of 38.4 years. Among them, 27 individuals received hormone therapy, 8 of whom experienced recurrence during a median follow-up period of 1 year. Patients who received hormone therapy exhibited a lower rate of recurrence than those who did not; however, the difference was not statistically significant, likely due to the small sample size. Side effects of hormone therapy included depression (6.8%), excessive sweating (3.4%), and headache (3.4%). In the analysis of risk factors for postoperative recurrence, diaphragm resection emerged as a protective factor (hazard ratio, 0.16; 95% confidence interval, 0.03-0.77; p=0.022).

Conclusion: Hormone treatment combined with surgery did not significantly impact recurrence in patients with CP. The application of diaphragm resection was the sole factor that displayed significance in preventing CP recurrence.