While combination estrogen/progestagen therapy decreases the risk of endometrial cancer compared with estrogen therapy alone, it causes a greater increase in breast cancer and, thus, a greater increase in total cancer incidence when used either continuously or cyclically, according to the latest findings from the Million Women Study.
While combination estrogen/progestagen therapy decreases the risk of endometrial cancer compared with estrogen therapy alone, it causes a greater increase in breast cancer and, thus, a greater increase in total cancer incidence when used either continuously or cyclically, according to the latest findings from the Million Women Study.
Researchers recruited over 700,000 postmenopausal women from the UK without previous cancer or hysterectomy and followed them for an average of 3.4 years. They found that compared with those who never used HT, the risk of endometrial cancer was reduced in women who last used a continuous combined HRT preparation (relative risk 0.71); increased in women who last used tibolone (RR 1.79), and in women who last used estrogen only (RR 1.45); and did not significantly change in women who last used a cyclic combined preparation (RR 1.05).
In addition, the researchers found that the adverse effects of tibolone and estrogen-only HRT were greatest in non-obese women and that the beneficial effects of combined HRT were greatest in obese women.
Million Women Study Collaborators. Endometrial cancer and hormone-replacement therapy in the Million Women Study. Lancet. 2005;365:1543-1551.
Brinton LA, Lacey JV Jr, Trimble EL. Hormones and endometrial cancer-new data from the Million Women Study. Lancet. 2005;365:1517-1518.
Fasting glucose at GDM diagnosis may predict postpartum glucose abnormalities
February 6th 2025A recent study suggests that elevated fasting glucose levels at the time of gestational diabetes diagnosis could be an early indicator of postpartum glucose intolerance, emphasizing the need for close monitoring after delivery.
Read More
Ulipristal plus misoprostol shows promise for medication abortion
February 5th 2025A recent study found that ulipristal acetate followed by misoprostol is a safe, effective, and acceptable option for medication abortion, offering a potential alternative in areas with limited access to mifepristone.
Read More
Identification and management of patients at increased risk for breast cancer
February 5th 2025With breast cancer being the most diagnosed invasive cancer in the United States, OB-GYN practitioners play a crucial role in identifying high-risk patients and guiding them through screening, prevention, and risk-reduction strategies.
Read More