HT and Breast Cancer: Do Different Regimens Confer Different Risks?

Although researchers recently terminated the combined estrogen-progestin arm of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), they retained its estrogen-only arm ( . . .

Although researchers recently terminated the combined estrogen-progestin arm of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), they retained its estrogen-only arm (Journal Watch Women's Health Aug 7 2002); however, the risks associated with estrogen-only regimens remain unknown. In this multicenter case-control study, investigators examined the risk for breast cancer associated with different hormone therapy (HT) regimens. They analyzed data on 1924 postmenopausal women with newly diagnosed primary invasive breast cancer (from 1994 to 1998) and 2029 postmenopausal women without breast cancer who were matched for study site, race, and age.

During face-to-face interviews, the investigators gathered information on medical history, demographics, lifestyle…

Reviewing Author

Sandra Ann Carson, MD