Is it OK to have hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after treatment for uterine cancer?
Sue D., Pennsylvania, USA: Taking HRT with a history of endometrial cancer has been controversial ever since the 1960s when doctors discovered that taking estrogen supplements alone (unopposed estrogen) after menopause increased women’s risk of developing endometrial cancer. Since then, HRT has always been offered with another hormone, progesterone, to eliminate that risk. Here article from Oncology.com provides an overview of the risks and benefits of HRT for endometrial and breast cancer surviors. http://www.oncology.com/news/news_view/1,1017,2500_2501_1,00.html But what if you don’t have a uterus anymore? Is estrogen safe, then? That is the question many of endometrial cancer survivors have asked! The latest studies have suggested that HRT for early stage (stage 1) endometrial cancer is probably quite safe, so the answer is not the flat-out “no” that it used to be. See the press release announcing the results of this recent study of HRT after early stage endometrial cancer. http://w
