Study: Hormone Therapy May Lower Risk of Death from Breast Cancer

In an analysis of 25 years of clinical studies, researchers at the University of Maryland Medical School in Baltimore report that estrogen replacement and hormone replacement therapies may actually lower a woman's risk of death from breast cancer.

The study, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, concluded, "The evidence did not support the hypotheses that estrogen use increases the risk of breast cancer and that combined hormone therapy increases the risk more than estrogen alone."

"We found little consistency among studies that estimated the risk of breast cancer among hormone users compared with nonusers and in the studies assessing the risk by duration of use," the researchers said.

"However, there was consistently a lower risk of death from breast cancer in hormone users compared with nonusers," they reported.

The study did, however, show that estrogen use may be associated with endometrial cancer. Data supporting this conclusion was strongly consistent across the studies, and with the risk more pronounced for higher estrogen doses and long treatment periods.

Other Sources: Obstetrics and Gynecology