LA BioMed study finds hormone therapy increases frequency of abnormal mammograms, breast biopsiesFebruary 26, 2008May reduce effectiveness of both methods for detecting cancer TORRANCE - Combined hormone therapy appears to increase the risk that women will have abnormal mammograms and breast biopsies, and it may decrease the effectiveness of both methods for detecting breast cancer, according to a report in the Feb. 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Rowan T. Chlebowski, M.D., Ph.D., a lead investigator at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed), was the lead author of the report. He and his colleagues studied 16,608 post-menopausal women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trial, a 15-year study that began in 1993. The research team examined the effect of combined hormone therapy on breast cancer detection over five years and found it resulted in more than one in 10 women having otherwise avoidable mammogram abnormalities and one in 25 women having breast biopsies. Combined hormone therapy also compromised the diagnostic performance of mammograms and breast biopsies. "These findings represent a concern for post-menopausal women who are considering hormone therapy," said Dr. Chlebowski. "They should take the results of this study into consideration and consult with their physicians before undergoing even short-term hormone therapy." The study examined the use of conjugated equine estrogens plus medroxyprogesterone acetate for approximately five years. A total of 8,506 women were randomly assigned to receive a combination of estrogen (0.625 milligrams of conjugated equine estrogens per day) plus progesterone (2.5 milligrams of medroxyprogesterone acetate per day), while 8,102 took a placebo. Each woman received a mammogram and breast examination yearly, with biopsies performed based on physicians' clinical judgment. During the 5.6 years of the study, 199 women in the combined hormone group and 150 women in the placebo group developed breast cancer. Mammograms with abnormal results were more common among women taking hormones than among women taking placebos: 35 percent vs. 23 percent. Women taking hormones had a 4 percent greater risk of having a mammogram with abnormalities after one year and an 11 percent greater risk after five years. Breast biopsies also were more common among women taking combined hormone therapy than among those taking placebos: 10 percent vs. 6.1 percent. "After discontinuation of combined hormone therapy, the adverse effects on mammogram and breast biopsy performance were seen even in younger women in the fifth decade of life, so the finding may impact women just entering menopause as well," said Dr. Chlebowski. The study found the adverse effect of combined hormone therapy on mammograms "modulated but remained significantly different from that of placebo for at least 12 months," according to the study's authors. Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) |
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| Related Hormone Therapy Current Events and Hormone Therapy News Articles Scientists uncover new key to the puzzle of hormone therapy and breast cancer The use of postmenopausal hormone therapy has decreased over time in the United States, which researchers suggest may play a key role in the declining rate of atypical ductal hyperplasia, a known risk factor for breast cancer. Short-term hormone therapy and intermediate dose radiation increases survivial for early stage prostate cancer Short-term hormone therapy given prior to and during intermediate dose radiation treatment for men with early stage prostate cancer increases their chance of living longer, compared to those who receive the same radiation alone. Study shows hormone replacement therapy decreases mortality in younger postmenopausal woman Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat menopausal estrogen deficiency has been in widespread use for over 60 years. Several observational studies over the years showed that HRT use by younger postmenopausal women was associated with a significant reduction in total mortality; available evidence supported the routine use of HRT to increase longevity in postmenopausal women. Hormone mix could cut breast cancer risk and treat symptoms of menopause The right combination of estrogen and a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), which blocks the effects of estrogen in breast tissue, could relieve menopause symptoms and cut breast cancer risk. Breast tenderness during hormone replacement therapy linked to elevated cancer risk Women who developed new-onset breast tenderness after starting estrogen plus progestin hormone replacement therapy were at significantly higher risk for developing breast cancer than women on the combination therapy who didn't experience such tenderness, according to a new UCLA study. Women with breast cancer have low vitamin D levels Women with breast cancer should be given high doses of vitamin D because a majority of them are likely to have low levels of vitamin D, which could contribute to decreased bone mass and greater risk of fractures, according to scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Researchers believe hormone therapy should not be stopped prior to mammograms Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) are recommending that menopausal women on hormone therapy (HT) continue their treatment prior to having their annual mammogram screenings. Prostate cancer patients on hormone therapy at increased risk for various heart diseases New research has found that hormone therapy used to treat men with advanced prostate cancer is associated with an increased chance of developing various heart problems. Some choices of therapy appear, however, to be less risky than others. Long-term tamoxifen use increases risk of an aggressive, hard to treat type of second breast cancer While long-term tamoxifen use among breast cancer survivors decreases their risk of developing the most common, less aggressive type of second breast cancer, such use is associated with a more than four-fold increased risk of a more aggressive, difficult-to-treat type of cancer in the breast opposite, or contralateral, to the initial tumor. Hormone therapy for prostate cancer patients with heart conditions linked to increased death risk Men with coronary artery disease-induced congestive heart failure or heart attack who receive hormone therapy before or along with radiation therapy for treatment of prostate cancer have an associated increased risk of death. More Hormone Therapy Current Events and Hormone Therapy News Articles |
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