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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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Women at Risk After Hormone Therapy: Study

Breast cancer risk continues, but other health threats diminish

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(Newser) – Breast cancer remains a risk for women even after they stop taking hormone therapy, researchers said yesterday. A follow-up to a 2002 study showed that women who dropped estrogen and progestin still had a 24% greater breast cancer risk. But their chance of a stroke, heart attack, or blood clot fell to normal levels after halting the therapy, Reuters reports.

The original Women's Health Initiative study of 27,347 women deemed hormone therapy too dangerous to continue; the 2-1/2 year University of North Carolina follow-up reinforced "the importance of regular breast exams and mammograms” after therapy, one expert said. Wyeth, the main hormone therapy maker, said that only older women studied by WHI had a greater cancer risk.

Camelia Rodriguez , 53, of Chelsea, Mass. is kissed by her partner of eight years, Jorge Estuardo, during their last-minute wedding ceremony at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008 where Rodriguez has been battling metastatic breast cancer. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Camelia Rodriguez , 53, of Chelsea, Mass. is kissed by her partner of eight years, Jorge Estuardo, during their last-minute wedding ceremony at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston Wednesday,...   (Associated Press)
The lobby of the headquarters of pharmaceutical company Wyeth is shown in Madison, N.J., in this Oct. 19, 2006 file photo. The company, a major manufacturer of hormone replacement treatment, says new findings that point to risks of the therapy are skewed toward older women. (AP Photo/Mike Derer, file)
The lobby of the headquarters of pharmaceutical company Wyeth is shown in Madison, N.J., in this Oct. 19, 2006 file photo. The company, a major manufacturer of hormone replacement treatment, says new...   (Associated Press)
A new study shows that the increased risk of breast cancer remains after hormone treatment is stopped.
A new study shows that the increased risk of breast cancer remains after hormone treatment is stopped.   (Shutterstock.com)
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Hormone replacement increases risks of other cancers, too
San Francisco Chronicle

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National Institutes of Health


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breast cancer • women's health • hormone replacement therapy • estrogen • blood clots • heart attack • mammogram • stroke • Wyeth • progestin • health study • health risks • HRT

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