Abstract
Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), commonly called hot flashes, and night sweats, are one of the most common symptoms associated with menopause, occurring in more than 80% of peri- and postmenopausal women in Western societies. Although hot flashes accompany the withdrawal of estrogen at menopause, low estrogen levels alone do not explain their occurence.
In general there is little information on the complex thermoregulatory circuitry that underlies VMS. Flushing occurs as a reset of disturbance of the temperature regulating mechanism situated in the hypotalamus, and probably a reduction in the thermoneutral zone, within which fluctuations of basal body temperature do not provoke compensatory vascular responses.
The goal of this article is twofold: 1. to summarise our knowledge on the mechanisms of temperature regulation, 2. to review the scientific literature regarding acquired deficits in the thermoregulation among breast cancer survivors.