Long-Term Estrogen Therapy Linked to Breast Cancer

Roman Bystrianyk · medicine forum Guru Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 454

"Long-Term Estrogen Therapy Linked to Breast Cancer", Forbes, May 8,
2006,
Link:
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2006/05/08/hscout532576.html

Postmenopausal women who've had a hysterectomy and have used estrogen
therapy for 15 years or more appear to be at higher risk of breast
cancer, a new study found.

The new findings helped to clarify researchers' understanding of the
potential link between estrogen therapy and breast cancer. Past studies
that looked at estrogen taken with the hormone progestin have linked
this combination to an increased risk of breast cancer among
postmenopausal women. But results released in April from the Women's
Health Initiative, a large clinical trial of hormone therapy, found no
significant connection between estrogen therapy alone and breast cancer
in women who took the hormone for seven years.

"Estrogen only causes cancer after prolonged exposure," said Dr. Wendy
Y. Chen, lead researcher of the new study, who's with Brigham and
Women's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston.

Chen's team believes the effect of estrogen is cumulative. "We found
that there was a 42 percent increased risk for all types of breast
cancer for women who had used estrogen alone for 20 or more years," she
said. However, for the type of breast cancer that is hormone sensitive,
there was a 48 percent increased risk after 15 years of estrogen use,
she said.

The study findings appear in the May 8 issue of the Archives of
Internal Medicine.

For the study, Chen and her colleagues collected data on 28,835 women
who were part of the Nurses' Health Study. During the study period, 934
women developed invasive breast cancer. These included 226 women who
had never used hormones, typically to ease menopausal symptoms such as
hot flashes, vaginal dryness and loss of energy, and 708 women who were
using estrogen at the time.

Given these findings, women need to consider whether they want to use
estrogen over an extended period, Chen said. "For women who use
estrogen alone, and have been on it for more than 10 years, they would
want to consider how much longer they want to remain on estrogen," she
said.

"If you are taking it for less than 15 years, we haven't seen a
significant increase in risk," Chen added. "But after 15 years, women
should speak to their physician about the benefits of being on estrogen
and how would that be weighted against the risks."

Women who decide to stay on estrogen need to have regular mammograms,
Chen said.

Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in
New York City, thinks these findings show that the current guidelines
for estrogen use make sense.

"This study highlights the importance of appropriate use of hormone
therapy," Wu said. "Patients must understand that the benefits of
estrogen come with certain risks."

"Current guidelines for estrogen therapy hold true," Wu said. "The
current recommendation for estrogen therapy is to use the lowest
effective dose for the shortest duration of time."

Ed Friedman · medicine forum beginner Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 27

Roman Bystrianyk wrote:

Google