Breast Cancer Risk Increased by Hormone Replacement Therapy

By Susan Brady

Numerous previous studies have linked hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to an increase in cancers of the breast, ovaries and the lung. Today, a long-term study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention puts another nail in the coffin of the prescription given to women to combat the symptoms of menopause.

HRT was used widely among menopausal women until the landmark Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was released 2002, following a major study that found the use of HRT could increase the risk for developing breast and ovarian cancer. It was also shown that HRT could increase the likelihood of strokes and other serious conditions. At that time, millions of women immediately discontinued the use of HRT drugs and subsequently breast cancer rates have declined.

The new long term study confirms an analysis in 2009 by JoAnn Manson, a professor at Harvard Medical School, who found that in the initial two years of hormone replacement therapy there was no increase in the number of cases of breast cancer in those patients receiving combination HRT therapy. However, over five to six years of HRT treatment the groups’ odds increased significantly.

The current study had researchers analyzing health information on 2,857 women who participated in the California Teachers Study. They compared the rate of those developing breast cancer with those taking hormone replacement therapy. When comparing the two groups, they found that those women who had used estrogen for up to 15 years had a 19% increased breast cancer risk over those patients who never used HRT.

A clinical trial conducted by Lars Holmberg, M.D., Ph.D. and colleagues, of King's College London, and published in 2008 indicated that breast cancer survivors were 14 percent more likely to have a recurrence of cancer if they used HRT.

Physicians continue to urge women who need HRT drugs for the relief of serious menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness to consider taking them, particularly as lower-dose therapies are now available that can be taken for short durations.

source : healthnews.com