Breast Cancer Is More Advanced in Women Using Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Study Examines Breast Cancer Risk Tied to HRT

Oct. 19, 2010 - According to the latest research from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study on combined estrogen-plus-progestin hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and breast cancer risk, breast cancers tied to the use of hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women tend to be diagnosed at a more advanced and deadly stage.

The WHI study's intervention phase was stopped earlier in 2002 due to an increased risk of breast cancer among the participants taking HRT, compared to those taking a placebo.

Researchers analyzed data based on 11 years of follow-up of 12,788 women in the original WHI study. They found that HRT was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer; the participants' cancers were more commonly diagnosed in an advanced stage.

The researchers found that more than twice as many women who took HRT died within the follow-up period, compared with those who took the placebo (25 vs. 12 deaths, respectively).

Study results published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Now, with longer follow-up results available, there remains a cumulative, statistically significant increase in breast cancers in the combined hormone therapy group, and the cancers more commonly had lymph node involvement," write researcher Rowan T. Chlebowski, MD, PhD, of Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, Calif., and colleagues.

Further reading :

This article was summarized from WebMD Health News
http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20101019/hrt-related-breast-cancer-is-more-advanced

Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
ABSTRACT : Estrogen Plus Progestin and Breast Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Postmenopausal Women
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/304/15/1684

PBS News Hour
Study: Post-Menopausal Hormone Therapy Increases Cancer Risk
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec10/hormone_10-19.html


Related articles :

National Cancer Institute (USA)
Menopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy Use and Cancer
What has medical research found out about the risks and benefits of hormone use after menopause?
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/menopausal-hormones#q4

Hormone replacement therapy tied to ovarian cancer
http://www.curetoday.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/news.showNewsArticle/id/13/news_id/1440

Hormone replacement therapy doubles breast cancer risk
http://article.wn.com/view/2010/08/11/Hormone_replacement_therapy_increases_breast_cancer_risk/