Is Menopausal Hormone Therapy Associated with Excess Risk for Ovarian Cancer?

Temporal analysis of ovarian cancer incidence before and after the initial report of WHI risk–benefit data suggests a possible relation.

Epidemiologic studies have indicated an association between menopausal hormone therapy (HT) and ovarian cancer risk (Cancer 2009; 115:531); thus, investigators used information on 171,142 incident ovarian cancers in the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries database to estimate incidence rate changes before and after publication in 2002 of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) report on risks and benefits of combined HT (JAMA 2002; 288:321), at which time HT use declined markedly.

In women 50 and older, age-standardized ovarian cancer incidence declined by 0.8% annually before the WHI report and by 2.4% after the report. Incidence of ovarian cancer in younger women decreased steadily (by 2.2%) throughout the study period. The…

Reviewing Author

Robert W. Rebar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMyovant Sciences, Inc.

Editorial BoardsEndoText; Clinical OB/GYN Alert

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine (Member, Ethics Committee)

Robert W. Rebar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMyovant Sciences, Inc.

Editorial BoardsEndoText; Clinical OB/GYN Alert

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine (Member, Ethics Committee)

Is Menopausal Hormone Therapy Associated with Excess Risk for Ovarian Cancer?

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Reviewing Author