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What are the risks of menopausal hormones for women who have a history of cancer?
One of the roles of naturally occurring estrogen is to promote the normal growth of cells in the breast and uterus. For this reason, there is concern that menopausal estrogen use by women who have had cancer may promote further tumor growth. The effect of menopausal estrogen use after endometrial and breast cancer remains uncertain (35). Little research has been done on the risks associated with menopausal hormone use by women who have had endometrial cancer. A few small studies have found no evidence that hormone use has a negative effect on survival and/or recurrence of the disease in these women (36). However, no large, long-term studies have compared the potential benefits, such as protection against
osteoporosis, with the potential cancer risks.
One observational study of breast cancer patients, most of whom were using estrogen alone, reported no increase in recurrence or mortality among women who continued
hormone use after their diagnosis (37). Another study of breast cancer patients showed that users of estrogen had lower mortality rates from breast cancer than patients who did not use estrogen. Most of these patients stopped using estrogen at the time of diagnosis. However, the benefit of prior estrogen use diminished with time
(38).
Questions and
Answers About Menopausal Hormone Use
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