New study on menopause drugs stokes fresh debate over cancer risk

By: Agence France-Presse October 10, 2012 7:03 AM

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES STORIES

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

PARIS - Women who start hormone replacement therapy (HRT) soon after menopause do not show higher cancer incidence within 16 years, according to a Danish study published on Tuesday that fuels scientific discord over the treatment's safety.

Indeed, women who took HRT in the investigation had a significantly lower risk of dying or developing heart problems, the researchers wrote in a paper published on the medical websitebmj.com.

The new study was hailed by a menopause awareness group but a researcher who led a wider probe into HRT said it was worryingly underpowered.

HRT has been shrouded in controversy since a Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study in 2002 reported a higher risk of breast cancer for women who take it, a finding echoed by the Million Women Study (MWS) a year later.

"We found a significantly decreased risk of... death, heart failure or myocardial infarction (heart attack) when hormone replacement therapy was started early in postmenopause," wrote the Danish team.

"(T)his finding was not associated with an increased risk of cancer, stroke, deep vein thrombosis, or pulmonary embolism."

The MWS stirred up a storm when it claimed HRT boosted cancer risk by between 30 and 100 percent, a finding criticized by other scientists who claimed the study method was flawed.

Continue reading here:
New study on menopause drugs stokes fresh debate over cancer risk