Long-term hormone replacement therapy increases breast cancer risk

	Tweet

“Are you taking or did you take hormones? If yes, which hormone medication and for how long? When did you stop taking hormone replacement medication?” 3,464 breast cancer patients and 6,657 healthy women between the ages of 50 and 74 years participated in a large survey and elicited detailed information about hormone replacement medications they are taking or used to take for relief of menopausal symptoms. The survey was prompted by the “MARIE” case-control study carried out by the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the University Hospitals in Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. The goal of this 6-year study, which was financed by the German Cancer Aid (Deutsche Krebshilfe), was to determine the effect of hormones – both on their own and in association with other factors – on breast cancer risk.

Women who have taken menopausal hormone therapy before have a 37 percent higher risk of breast cancer than women who have never taken hormone replacement therapy (HRT). During the actual time of HRT use the risk is even elevated by 73 percent. Within five years after cessation of therapy the risk of breast cancer in former HRT users falls back to the level of women who never used HRT. “These results of the MARIE study confirm findings of two U.S. and U.K. studies (Women’s Health Initiative Study and Million Women Study) that caused a stir in 2002 and 2003,” says Professor Dr. Wilhelm Braendle of Hamburg-Eppendorf University Hospitals, who headed the study.

“It has often been argued that the results of the U.S. study could not be applied to Germany where prescription practices are completely different. Therefore, we captured the various hormone preparations, especially the various progestins, very precisely. 

We have obtained similar results as the U.S. researchers,” Professor Dr. Jenny Chang-Claude of DKFZ summarizes. “With our new data, we provide physicians in Germany with solid information that will help them to advise their patients about the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy.”

The MARIE study also confirms that different hormone preparations have different effects: Compared to the risk of women who have never used HRT, a combined therapy of estrogen and progestin doubles the risk of breast cancer, while use of estrogen alone (estrogen replacement therapy) raises the risk by only 15 percent. However, in both cases the risk increases only if hormones are taken for more than five years.

“Hormone replacement therapy also appears to have a different influence on different types of breast cancer,” Braendle explains. “The risk of developing one of the less common lobular or tubular breast cancers increases twice as much under HRT as the risk of the common type of ductal carcinoma, which constitutes 40 to 75 percent of all malignant tumors of the breast.”

###

Dieter Flesch-Janys, Tracy Slanger, Elke Mutschelknauss, Silke Kropp,Nadia Obi, Eik Vettorazzi, Wilhelm Braendle, Gunter Bastert, Stefan Hentschel, Jürgen Berger, and Jenny Chang-Claude: Risk of Different Histological Types of Postmenopausal Breast Cancer by Type and Regimen of Menopausal Hormone Therapy. International Journal of Cancer 2008, DOI 10.1002/ijc.23655

The task of the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum in Heidelberg (German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ) is to systematically investigate the mechanisms of cancer development and to identify cancer risk factors. The results of this basic research are expected to lead to new approaches in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Center is financed to 90 percent by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and to 10 percent by the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association of National Research Centers (Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren e.V.).

Contact: Dr. Sibylle Kohlstädt

Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

RELATED STORIES:
Annual screening with breast ultrasound or MRI could benefit some women   Breast density may increase cancer risk   New Subtype of Breast Cancer Responds to Targeted Drug   Chemotherapy for breast cancer is associated with disruption of sleep-wake rhythm in women   Higher co-payments increase chance of early discontinuation of breast cancer therapy   Breast Discomfort During HRT May Indicate Cancer Risk   Breast Cancer Patients With High Risk Gene Diagnosed Six Years Earlier Than Generation Before   Smoking not linked to more advanced breast cancer   Persistent pain common for many women 2 to 3 years after breast cancer treatment   In Flurry of Studies, Researcher Details Role of Apples in Inhibiting Breast Cancer   Breast Cancer Risk Varies In Young Women with Benign Breast Disease   Breasts that are uneven appearance could be a predictor of breast cancer   X-rays increase breast cancer risk   Chemotherapy may not affect memory in breast cancer patients   Hutchinson Center Receives $10.24M from NIH for Latina Breast Cancer Research   98 percent of elective mastectomy patients would have reconstruction again, says ASPS study   13 percent of women stop taking breast cancer drug because of side effects, U-M study finds   Women With Breast Cancer Who Consume Soy Food Have Lower Risk of Cancer Recurrence   HER-2 Status Predicts Success of Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Treatment   Better Surgical Options for Breast Cancer Help Survivors Return to Normal   Genetic testing helped breast cancer survivor   Researcher Details Role of Apples in Inhibiting Breast Cancer

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]