Menopausal HT and Ovarian Cancer: Causal Role Remains Unclear

Use of hormone therapy is associated with excess risk for ovarian cancer (JW Womens Health May 24 2007), but the causal nature of this relation is uncertain. In a nationwide prospective study, investigators followed a cohort of 910,000 eligible Danish women (age, ≥50). During a mean follow-up of 8 years, 3068 incident ovarian malignancies (2681 epithelial) were diagnosed. At the end of follow-up, 63% of participants had never used HT, 22% were prior users, and 9% were current users.

Compared with women who had never used HT, current and previous HT users had higher risk for ovarian cancer (relative risk, 1.38 and 1.15, respectively). Excess risk for ovarian malignancy was observed even with short-duration HT use (0–4 years; RR, 1.33), and ri…