HRT AND RISK OF BREAST CANCER:

A meta-analysis published in the Lancet entitled Menopausal hormone therapy and 20-year breast cancer mortality showed that the risk of breast cancer was found to have increased the longer women used HRT, and doubling for women who used it for 10 years vs increased risk for women who used HRT for less than a year, and those who used it on and off were found to have lower risk than those who used it daily.

However, there are other factors that contribute to the risk of breast cancer. week increases the risk of developing breast cancer by 15%! The risk further increases by another 10% for each additional standard alcoholic drink women have each day. It’s interesting to note that this increase is higher than that associated with HRT alone. The results of studies linking breast cancer and HRT are based on older formulations of HRT which has dramatically changed.

There is also convincing evidence that being overweight and obese increases the risk not only of breast cancer but also bowel, oesophageal, pancreatic, kidney, and liver cancer. Observational studies on the other hand, have shown that smoking increases the

Medications can be viewed as double edged swords in that they

Hormone replacement therapy is not an exception with its attendant advantages and disadvantages. It was intended to dryness. The risk associated with breast cancer and HRT has been a longstanding debate that up to now has not been conclusively revolved.

It is imperative that a shared decision making between you and appropriate treatment tailored to you. (CMAJ. 2019 Sep 30; 191(39): E1088–E1089.

https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/ alcohol ( accessed 18/10/20)

https://www.canceraustralia.gov. au/publications-and-resources/position-statements/lifestylerisk-factors-and-primary-prevention-cancer/lifestyle-risk-factors/ overweight-and-obesity (accessed 18/10/2020)

https://breastcancernow.org/about-us/media/pressreleases/smoking-–-particularly-if-started-during-adolescence-–(accessed 18/10/2020)