DOES USE OF ESTROGEN OR ESTROGEN-PROGESTIN HORMONES AFTER MENOPAUSE INCREASE THE RISK OF BREAST CANCER?
IT PROBABLY DOES, BUT THE INCREASED RISK IS MODEST. (February 2003) Many studies have been carried out on the dangers of taking hormones (hormone replacement therapy) after the menopause in regard to increased occurrence of breast cancer. The extent of the increased risk in various studies has ranged from none at all to about a doubled risk. A study from the well-respected Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington was reported in the February 13, 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. They compared 705 post-menopausal women ages 50 to 74 years who developed breast cancer with 692 women of similar age who were cancer free. Those women using estrogens or estrogens plus progestin who were current users and who had been taking the hormones for at least five years had a 70 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer. Commentary: This is a well-conducted study. It compares women with breast cancer and controls in regard to hormone use (a ca
Related Questions
- For women taking hormones after menopause, does it make a difference in their risk for breast cancer whether they take estrogen-only or estrogen plus progesterone?
- DOES USE OF ESTROGEN OR ESTROGEN-PROGESTIN HORMONES AFTER MENOPAUSE INCREASE THE RISK OF BREAST CANCER?
- Does estrogen treatment increase the risk of breast cancer?
