Link Between Estrogen and Breast Cancer

To determine the relationship between estrogen use and the risk of invasive breast cancer, a group of Harvard-based medical researchers studied 28,800 post-menopausal women enrolled in the observational Nurses’ Health Study (NHS). They wanted to find... More

To determine the relationship between estrogen use and the risk of invasive breast cancer, a group of Harvard-based medical researchers studied 28,800 post-menopausal women enrolled in the observational Nurses’ Health Study (NHS). They wanted to find out whether the long-term use of estrogen increased a woman’s chances of getting breast cancer and what part age and weight played in the outcome. Their findings showed no statistically significant increase in breast cancer risk in women who took estrogen only for up to 20 years. However, after that point, breast cancer risk became statistically significant. The study was published May 8 in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Approximately 4. 4 million women in the United States use menopause hormones. Many take estrogen only. Around 900,000 take a combination of estrogen and progestin. A 2002 study conducted by the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) found that the combination of these two hormones incr Less