October 20, 2010 - Further findings from the WHI: Synthetic Hormone Therapy (HRT) Accelerates Breast Cancer Progression and Raises Risk

Follow-up results from the Women’s Health Initiative (Journal of American Medical Association, Oct. 20, 2010) have found that breast cancers among HRT users are more dangerous and deadly than WHI researchers previously thought. To follow-up on the original data, the researchers tracked women who had been in the study since its 1993 beginnings. What they found out was that those who took synthetic hormones in the trial compared to those on placebo, had 25 percent more invasive breast cancers. The same women were 78 percent more likely to have lymph node positive breast cancer and 96 percent were more likely to die from the disease. To top it off, the all-cause mortality increase was 57%. Do we really need any more evidence that synthetic hormones are toxic to the body and should be avoided? Especially when natural hormones are more widely available than ever in this country and European women have been using them safely for decades!

If your physician is still prescribing synthetic hormones like Premarin, or PremPro, he or she is out of step with the studies, and the superior safety record of bioidentical alternatives. At the same time, natural-hormone friendly doctors are growing in number (find a physician at  womeninbalance.org) fueled by the demand of educated, informed women like YOU! Ask for saliva hormone testing to detect hormonal imbalances and natural, bioidentical approaches to correct them.

The ubiquitous Dr. Oz himself recently came out loud and clear for bioidentical hormone therapies boldly referring to the use of synthetic HRT as “Bad Science (BS). Hormones for women are better now,” he told his millions of viewers,  “especially the bioidentical versions of estrogen and progesterone which are the intelligent option for today’s women.”

Science on Our Side: The Latest Studies on Breast Cancer

Update on The Women's Health Initiative, October 20, 2010

New findings from the Women's Health Initiative study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (October 20, 2010) conclude that the use of synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with a more invasive and deadly form of breast cancer than previously reported.

The objective of the WHI follow-up was to determine the effects of therapy with HRT (synthetic estrogen plus progestin) on cumulative breast cancer incidence and mortality after a total mean follow-up of 11 years, through August 14, 2009. In the original study, a total of 16,608 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years with no prior hysterectomy from 40 US clinical centers were randomly assigned to receive combined conjugated equine estrogens, 0.625 mg/d, plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (progestin), 2.5 mg/d, or placebo pill. The study had to be terminated three years early when researchers discovered increased risks of heart disease, stroke, blood clots and breast cancer. After the original trial completion date (March 31, 2005), reconsent was required for continued follow-up and was obtained from 12,788 (83%) of the surviving participants.

Conclusions: Estrogen plus progestin (synthetic) HRT was associated with greater breast cancer incidence, and the cancers are more commonly node-positive. Breast cancer mortality also appears to be increased with combined use of estrogen plus progestin.

Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer Rates, April 2010

Recent trends in hormone therapy utilization show dramatic decline in breast cancer rates with drop in HRT use.

Recent declines in invasive breast cancer have been reported in the US, with many studies linking these declines to reductions in the use of combination estrogen/progestin hormone therapy (EPHT). Researchers evaluated the changing use of postmenopausal hormone therapy, mammography screening rates, and the decline in breast cancer incidence specifically for Marin County, California, a population with historically elevated breast cancer incidence rates.

METHODS The Marin Women's Study (MWS) is a community-based, prospective cohort study launched in 2006 to monitor changes in breast cancer, breast density, and personal and biologic risk factors among women living in Marin County. The MWS enrolled 1,833 women following routine screening mammography between October 2006 and July 2007. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire that included items regarding historical hormone therapy regimen (estrogen only, progesterone only, EPHT), age of first and last use, total years of use, and reason(s) for stopping, as well as information regarding complementary hormone use.

RESULTS Prevalence of EPHT use among non-Hispanic white women ages 50 and over declined sharply from 21.2% in 1998 to 6.7% by 2006-07. Estrogen only use declined from 26.9% in 1998 to 22.4% by 2006-07. Invasive breast cancer incidence rates declined 33.4% between 2001 and 2004, with drops most pronounced for Estrogen positive cancers. Screening mammography rates did not change during this period. Use of alternative or complementary agents did not differ significantly between ever and never hormone users. Of women who reported stopping EPHT in the past 5 years, 60% cited "health risks" or "news reports" as their primary reasons for quitting.

CONCLUSION A dramatic reduction in use of HRT was followed by a significant reduction in invasive and Estrogen+ breast cancer rates among women living in Marin County, California.