Home About Breast Cancer What's New New HRT Study 'Out of Step'

New HRT Study 'Out of Step'
The Westmead Breast Cancer Institute (BCI) says the new findings of a major American study on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were out of step with other data which indicate that the risk of breast cancer falls fairly quickly after stopping HRT. According to the new study recently reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, in March 2008,  menopausal women who took estrogen-progestin pills for five years were found to have a higher risk of cancer even 2½ years after stopping the pills. Westmead BCI Executive Director Professor John Boyages said it was important to keep an open mind about the new data. “A lot of ambiguity and controversy surrounds HRT mainly because people can misinterpret data. Women need to be aware of any risks to make informed decisions about their health but the information should be realistic and accurate.” The BCI has developed a unique web-based tool that assesses a woman’s individual breast cancer risk with higher accuracy than other similar devices because it can take age of the individual, HRT usage, family history and State or Country of residence into account.

 

Available at www.seemyrisk.com, the user-friendly breast cancer calculator takes a woman’s personal information, HRT risk factors and local breast cancer incidence data to work out a realistic breast cancer risk in a simple but secure format. The calculator was developed with the support of Microsoft Australia. Professor Boyages noted that the new study's investigators underlined that a woman's individual risk remains small and the additional cancer risk for former HRT users was three extra cases of breast or other cancers in 1,000 women a year and the findings did not change HRT recommendations, which advise the lowest dose hormones for the shortest possible period and only if menopausal symptoms are moderate to severe. Professor Boyages also encouraged women to keep up with regular breast screening.

 

“BreastScreen NSW Sydney West, a program of the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, provides free mammograms to women over the age of 50. For a free mammogram call 132050. Last Updated on Monday, 08 February 2010 16:12