A new study in the Lancet Oncology attempts to demonstrate that women who take only estrogen for post-menopausal symptoms experienced a decreased risk of breast cancer incidence and death up to five years after ceasing the drug.
However, taking only estrogen remains linked to an increased risk of blood clots and stroke, and that decreased risk of breast cancer incidence with estrogen use was not found in women with an elevated risk for breast cancer due to family history or benign breast disease.
This study is a follow-up of the hugely influential Women's Health Initiative, which was originally launched in 1993 and has become the core of much of what is known and understood about the link between hormone replacement therapy and the increased risk of breast cancer.
Frankly this latest study feels like it only adds to the confusion surrounding one of the most hotly contested issues in oncology and women's health.
Recently, the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) updated their position statement on hormone replacement therapy, saying that personalized treatment is the most important aspect, and that most healthy women under age 60 won't experience an increased risk of heart disease from HRT, nor necessarily blood clots or strokes.
Source: Lancet Oncology, NAMS
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