Menopausal Hormone Therapy After Breast Cancer -- Is It Safe?

Fear of increased risk for breast cancer recurrence has limited use of hormone therapy (HT) in breast cancer survivors with menopausal symptoms. In the 1990s, . . .

Fear of increased risk for breast cancer recurrence has limited use of hormone therapy (HT) in breast cancer survivors with menopausal symptoms. In the 1990s, two randomized clinical trials were initiated in Scandinavia to examine the safety of HT in breast cancer survivors. In December 2003, the steering committee of one of these studies -- the Hormonal Replacement Therapy After Breast Cancer Diagnosis--Is It Safe? (HABITS) trial -- terminated the trial. Now, researchers report results of the safety analysis.

After a median follow-up of 2 years, 26 (of 219) women who were randomized to receive HT and 8 (of 215) who were randomized to receive no HT experienced new breast cancer events (relative hazard, 3.3). Serious adverse events also were …

Reviewing Author

Robert W. Rebar, MD