HRT risk for breast cancer higher than previously thought

HRT, which is commonly used to relieve the symptoms of menopause, has been known to be a breast cancer risk for some years now.

But there’s been a lot of debate about how big a risk factor it is.

Different studies have looked at what kind of HRT is the biggest risk; does how long you’re on the treatment make a difference; and how long does your risk stay high after you stop?

The exciting thing about this new study is the size and the duration – more than 100,000 women were studied over 40 years. This gives us our biggest and best picture yet of the risk around HRT and breast cancer.

It gives a number of important answers

• The risk identified was with combined HRT (oestrogen and progestogen), not oestrogen-only HRT

• The risk went up, the longer women were on treatment

• Once they stopped HRT, their risk began to decline

The NZBCF believes this study will be very helpful for women and their GPs to make an informed decision together. In particular, they can

• weigh the risks against the benefits

• look at the kind of HRT being prescribed, and keep the duration short if possible.

We all make trade-offs in our lifestyle against our risk of various cancers – whether it’s how much alcohol we drink, or how much time we spend in the sun. This is another area where we need to find a balance – but we’ll make better decisions as a result of this study, and that’s a great thing.

This article from the Institute of Cancer Research goes into detail about the findings.