Women with Breast Cancer and HRT
Some women who have breast cancer have been told that they cannot go on hormone replacement therapy. This is because HRT contains replacement estrogen, and estrogen is known to promote breast cancer growth if the cancer is already present. It is feared that prescribing an estrogen based treatment may trigger a cancer recurrence. High doses of estrogen can stimulate growth of estrogen sensitive cancer, and several studies have linked increased breast cancer risk to estrogen replacement therapy. However, new evidence suggests that there may be some cases where HRT is appropriate, even in cases of previous breast cancer.
Cancer treatment itself can cause premature menopause in a lot of women. These women are then exposed to the risks of menopause related diseases for many more years than the average woman. This creates a dilemma. Some breast cancer survivors may be at a greater risk of dying from heart disease or osteoporosis than for recurrence of their cancer.
Each woman is different in the type of breast cancer they have, and the amount of estrogen receptors present. When doctors are deciding whether to put a patient on estrogen replacement therapy, they need to carefully weigh the risks that the patient has for each of these health issues. Only you and your doctor can accurately determine which type of treatment is right for you.
Nov. 8 2005. http://www.estronaut.com/a/breast_cancer_hrt.htm. Copyright © 1999.
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