Reported
by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist -The amount of estrogen a woman takes in hormone replacement is
linked to her risk of ovarian cancer, a study finds.
Estrogen is an essential
component in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) which many women take to relieve
menopausal symptoms. It has long been known that HRT is linked to a higher risk
of endometrial and breast cancer, and to heart disease and stroke. But the link
with ovarian cancer has been less clear.
Doctors at the Danish Cancer Society in Copenhagen looked at HRT
used in a group of nearly 400 patients with ovarian cancer, comparing them with
over 1,000 healthy women. They found that a higher cumulative dose of estrogen
was linked to a higher risk of ovarian cancer. But duration of HRT itself was
not a risk factor. The findings suggest that women should be advised to use the
smallest possible dosage of estrogen in their HRT which is compatible with
relieving menopausal symptoms.
Source: Archives of Internal Medicine 8th November
2004
