Hormone treatment ‘increases cancer risk’
NZPA-Reuter Stockholm Women who undergo prolonged hormone treament during their menopause have a 70 per cent higher risk of developing breast cancer than other women, a Swedish study says. The study, in the “New England Journal of Medicine,” was based on observations of some 23,000 Swedish women from 1977 to 1983. “Treatment over a short period is not thought to lead to an increased risk of breast cancer. But the risk is much stronger among women treated for over six years,” said Professor Hans-Olov Adami at Uppsala hospital. The study showed that women who took hormones for more than nine years stood a 70 per cent higher risk of developing breast cancer than women who did not undergo such treatment said Professor Adami, who led the study team.
Hormone treatment became popular in the 1970 s
as a way of relieving menopausal symtoms such as hot flushes and night sweating. It was common in the United States, where more than 50 per cent of menopausal women were prescribed hormones. Professor Adami said. Since then there has been a marked decline in hormone treatment as a result of reports of increased cases of cancer of the uterus, and it is no longer common practice to prescribe them over long periods. “But in recent years it has been widely discussed in the United States and elsewhere whether hormones should be given to treat osteoporosis in older women,” Professor Adami said.
Osteoporosis makes the bones brittle and susceptible to fractures.
Professor Adami says the study does not mean women should stop or refuse hormone treatment fof menopausal symptqjns. ,
“It is very difficult to weigh up the positive effects against the risks. I don’t suggest anyone stops, their treatment, but instead discuss it with a doctor,” Professor Adami said. Professor Adami says hormonal treatment also combats . cardiovascular disease, while cancer of the uterus is rare and can often be cured. “The main concern is breast cancer,” he said.
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Press, 4 September 1989, Page 6
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329Hormone treatment ‘increases cancer risk’ Press, 4 September 1989, Page 6
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