Is Hormone Therapy Safe for Breast Cancer Survivors?
Aug. 21, 2001 — Women continue to get mixed messages about the good and the bad sides of hormone replacement therapy, commonly used to treat hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause. But a recent study shows that hormone therapy — traditionally thought of as taboo for breast cancer survivors — is not only safe but may even help prevent the cancer from coming back. The study, from the May 16 Journal of the National Cancer Institute, shows that breast cancer survivors treated with hormone replacement therapy, commonly called HRT, had about half the risk of cancer recurrence and one-third the risk of dying from breast cancer than women not treated with HRT. “This is certainly not a definitive study,” researcher Ellen S. O’Meara, PhD, tells WebMD. “And we are not saying hormone therapy is right for all women who have had breast cancer, or even all of those with menopausal symptoms. But these data suggest there is a reason to consider HRT, or at least not to rule it out automatically.
