Postmenopausal hormone therapy cuts lung cancer risk

Postmenopausal women who've taken hormone therapy have a lower risk of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and particularly estrogen receptor-positive tumors, according to a study published in the Dec. 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Ann G. Schwartz, PhD, of the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, and colleagues conducted a study of women aged 18 to 74 years comprising 488 NSCLC patients, of whom 241 had tumor estrogen-receptor results, and 498 controls.

The researchers found that the longer postmenopausal women were on HT, the lower their odds of developing lung cancer. The inverse association was found most strongly for estrogen receptor-positive NSCLC. None of the study's hormone variables were found to be associated with estrogen receptor-negative NSCLC tumors.

Schwartz AG, Wenzlaff AS, Prysak GM et al. Reproductive factors, hormone use, estrogen receptor expression and risk of non–small-cell lung cancer in women. J Clin Oncol. 2007;25:5785-5792.