beyond pink team
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our Board
    • Annual Report
    • Contact Us
  • Support
    • Physical
    • Emotional
    • Community
    • Financial
    • Caregiver
    • Online
  • Education
    • Newsletter
    • Ignite the Cancer Conversation
    • Quality Care
    • Resources
    • Request Speaker
    • The Cancer Journey
  • Advocacy
    • What is Advocacy
    • National Breast Cancer Coalition
    • Iowa Stop Breast Cancer
    • Research
    • Influencing Policy
    • Access to Care
  • Join Us
    • Be an Advocate
    • Volunteer
    • Events >
      • 16th Annual Pink Ribbon Run
    • Membership
    • Donate to BPT
    • Follow Us
 If you are Breast Cancer Survivor and  you would like to contribute your story to our Newsletter, 
​please send us a message here.
DOWNLOAD Current NewsletteR

Categories

All
Advocacy
Bone Health
Breast Density
Breast Disease
Caregivers
COVID 19
COVID-19
Emotional Support
Environment
Exercise
Fatigue
Financial
Gender
Genetic Testing
Grief
High Risk
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Ignite
Implants
Intimacy After Cancer
LGBTQ
Lymphedema
Mammography
Meditation
Men
Mental Health
Metastasis
MRI
NBCC
Nutrition
Obesity
Pain
Pregnancy
Prevention
Radiation
Reconstruction
Reduce Risk
Rehabilitation
Screening
Sex
Side Effects
Support Groups
Surgery
Survivor
Survivorship
Treatment
Vaccine
Yoga
Young Women

Archives

January 2023
October 2022
July 2022
April 2022
January 2022
October 2021
July 2021
April 2021
January 2021
October 2020
July 2020
April 2020
January 2020
October 2019
July 2019
April 2019
January 2019
October 2018
July 2018
April 2018
January 2018
October 2017
July 2017
April 2017
January 2017
October 2016
July 2016
April 2016
January 2016
October 2015
July 2015
April 2015
January 2015
October 2014
July 2014
April 2014
January 2014
October 2013
July 2013
April 2013
January 2013
October 2012
July 2012
April 2012
January 2012
October 2011
July 2011
April 2011
January 2011
October 2010
July 2010
April 2010
January 2010
October 2009
July 2009
April 2009
January 2009
October 2008
July 2008
April 2008
January 2008
October 2007
July 2007
April 2007
January 2007
October 2006
July 2006
April 2006
January 2006
October 2005
July 2005
April 2005
January 2005
October 2004
July 2004
April 2004
January 2004

Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer Risk: Results of Womens Health Initiative Studies

1/1/2005

0 Comments

 
by Dr. Sue Joslyn

In the 1990s, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) medications were among the most frequently prescribed medications in the United States. Almost 35% of postmenopausal women were taking HRT. Based on results of research available at the time, HRT was expected to lower a woman’s risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, along with easing symptoms of menopause including hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. Imagine the shock to millions of women when, in 2002, a large multi-center randomized clinical trial known as the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) revealed that HRT use was associated with increased risk of heart disease, breast cancer, stroke, and pulmonary embolism. The news headlines caused panic, and subsequent reports did little to calm the panic or explain the study results. However, research evidence is far from black and white, and hopefully this brief review will help explain results of the WHI clinical trials of HRT.

The WHI was the first large (16,608 women), well done experimental study on the effects of HRT on long term health benefits and risks, including risk of invasive breast cancer. In high quality clinical trial experiments funded by the federal government, researchers are required to set criteria for monitoring unexpected disease. The study is then observed by reviewers not associated with the study, and if cases of disease exceed the set number, reviewers can call for an end to the study for safety and ethical reasons. That is what happened in the WHI study, which was supposed to continue through 2005, but was stopped in 2002 based on health risks that exceeded health benefits.

Results of the study were presented in terms of “person years” which is one way to describe the risk of disease for a group based on available information. For every 1000 women taking HRT and followed for 10 years (10,000 person years), women experienced 7 more cases of coronary heart disease, 8 more strokes, 8 more pulmonary embolisms, and 8 more invasive breast cancers than the comparable group of women who were not taking HRT. The study also showed that the HRT group experienced 6 fewer colorectal cancers and 5 fewer hip fractures.

A second report from the WHI that looked specifically at breast cancer reported 199 cases of invasive breast cancer among women taking HRT compared to 150 cases among women not taking HRT. Tumors diagnosed in the HRT group were larger and were more likely to have spread compared to tumors diagnosed in women not taking HRT. These results suggested that HRT stimulates breast cancer growth and makes diagnosis more difficult.

A third WHI study looked at the effects of estrogen alone (ERT, not combined with progesterone) in postmenopausal women with hysterectomies. ERT is not given to women who still have their uterus, because it has been shown to increase risk of uterine cancer. The study found that the use of ERT increased the risk for stroke, decreased the risk of hip fracture, does not affect the risk of coronary heart disease, and possibly lowered the risk of breast cancer. 

Based on these WHI studies, as well as many other studies, the prolonged use of HRT/ERT for chronic disease prevention is not recommended. Short term use of lower dose HRT may be appropriate for management of menopause symptoms, but each woman needs to discuss her individual risk profile with her physician.

And if you are a woman who took HRT for many years, don’t panic. Researchers still do not know what causes breast cancer – most women who took HRT did not develop breast cancer, and women not taking HRT developed breast cancer. All that is known is that HRT increases risk of breast cancer in large populations of women. It may be that HRT works with some other factor in promoting the growth of breast cancer.

Because the specific cause of breast cancer is not known, the importance of early detection can not be stressed enough. The American Cancer Society, along with most other medical groups, recommends regular mammography (once each year beginning at age 40 years) for women at average risk, along with an annual clinical breast exam by a physician and monthly self breast exams. If a woman’s doctor believes the woman is at high risk for developing breast cancer based on family history, reproductive history or lifestyle factors, she may begin regular mammography at an earlier age, and/or have additional screening with ultrasound or MRI.  


​
Read Full Newsletter
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

CONTACT US

Beyond Pink TEAM
c/o Jeanne Olson, Treasurer
1407 Asbury Lane
Waterloo, IA 50701
​beyondpinkteam@gmail.com
(319) 239-3706
©2020 Beyond Pink TEAM
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our Board
    • Annual Report
    • Contact Us
  • Support
    • Physical
    • Emotional
    • Community
    • Financial
    • Caregiver
    • Online
  • Education
    • Newsletter
    • Ignite the Cancer Conversation
    • Quality Care
    • Resources
    • Request Speaker
    • The Cancer Journey
  • Advocacy
    • What is Advocacy
    • National Breast Cancer Coalition
    • Iowa Stop Breast Cancer
    • Research
    • Influencing Policy
    • Access to Care
  • Join Us
    • Be an Advocate
    • Volunteer
    • Events >
      • 16th Annual Pink Ribbon Run
    • Membership
    • Donate to BPT
    • Follow Us