HRT Doubles Risk of Breast Cancer

There was an article in the Oakland Tribune (February 16, 2009) -- on the front page, no less -- which claimed that hormone replacement therapy can double a woman's risk of breast cancer every year.

Two new Stanford University studies show that using long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) poses a far greater risk of cancer than previously thought.

The research concludes that a woman who stays on the therapy for at least five years doubles her risk of breast cancer every year. This risk is far greater than the 27 percent described in the hallmark 2002 Women's Health Initiative report, the first such study to establish a link.

But there was good news. No risk was established when women took HRT less than five years. And for women who continued beyond the five years, continued taking hormones, risks dropped when they stopped.

Marcia Stefanick, a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and a co-author of both the 2002 and present study, added, "I would encourage women to try and make it through menopause without starting hormone treatment."