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The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) randomized trial included arms with estrogen plus progestin (for women with intact uteri) and estrogen alone (for women with previous hysterectomy). Compared with placebo, hormone therapy was associated with higher risk for breast cancer in the combination-therapy study but not the estrogen-alone study (Journal Watch Apr 27 2004). In this new analysis of WHI data, investigators sought to determine whether estrogen alone raised risk for benign breast disease.
More than 10,000 postmenopausal women who had undergone hysterectomies received daily conjugated estrogen therapy (Premarin; 0.625 mg) or placebo. Women underwent annual clinical breast examinations and mammography. During 7 years of follow-up, the est…