HT-associated breast cancer has better prognosis

The mortality rate of women between ages 50 and 79 who are diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC)—the type of breast cancer most closely associated with hormonal therapy (HT)—is 11% lower than that of women diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), according to a recent retrospective cohort study spanning 24 years (1974–1998). The gap seems to be widening even further with time; from 1994 to 1998, the risk of death was 26% lower for women with ILC.

Researchers included in the study almost 165,000 women with one of seven types of invasive breast cancer. In addition to ILC, they calculated that the risk of mortality was 8% to 34% lower for women diagnosed with mucinous carcinoma, comedocarcinoma, or medullary, tubular, and papillary carcinomas, compared to women with IDC.

Li CI, Moe RE, Daling JR. Risk of mortality by histologic type of breast cancer among women aged 50 to 79 years. Arch Intern Med. 2003;163:2149-2153.