LNG IUS Safe for Breast Cancer Patients

For breast cancer survivors, the contraceptive levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG IUS) is an effective (albeit off-label) treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding and endometrial changes. Although LNG IUS does not confer risk for primary breast cancer, concerns remain about the effect of levonorgestrel on cancer recurrence. In a retrospective cohort study, investigators identified 79 patients with histories of invasive breast cancer and subsequent use of LNG IUS during disease-free periods. The control cohort comprised 120 women with breast cancer who had not used LNG IUS and who were matched for age at diagnosis, for tumor characteristics including hormone receptor status, and for nodal involvement. Breast cancer recurrence wa…