The study published this week in the Epidemiology journal refutes the notion that a family history contributes to the carcinogenic effects of estrogen.

“Although we know that family history is a risk factor, we don’t know yet what it is about family history that conveys the risk,” said Robert E. Gramling, M.D., D.Sc., assistant professor of Family Medicine and of Community and Preventive Medicine at URMC. “Some have proposed that it might be an increased sensitivity to estrogen, but our data did not support that notion. In fact, this study suggests the causal pathway based on family history is probably not estrogen sensitivity.”

Family history is identified as a “first-degree family history,” involving breast cancer in a mother, sister or daughter. Both family history and estrogen therapy have independently been identified as a risk factor for postmenopausal women. The Rochester study focused on whether the two risk factors together increased a woman’s risk.

Researchers used data from the Women’s Health Initiative randomized trial, which followed 16,608 premenopausal women who took HRT or a placebo pill between 1993 and 2002. The study was halted after data began to show that HRT greatly increased a woman’s risk of breast cancer, heart disease and other serious illness.

SOURCE: Hormone Replacement Therapy › HRT-breast cancer risk same regardless of family history

Years ago, HRT was the method-of-choice for most women to combat annoying menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, moodiness, night sweats and decreased sexual desire. The therapy also was thought to offer other benefits, such as a lowered risk of heart disease and breast cancer.

However, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) of 2002 changed popular opinion when it found that HRT greatly increased a woman’s risk of breast cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses. Since then, HRT and its effects have continued to be a closely studied therapy.

University of California-Irvine senior statistician, Sarah F. Marshall, presented the findings of her study at the San Antonio (Texas) Breast Cancer Symposium. The study followed 2,800 postmenopausal women who developed breast cancer beginning in 1995 until their deaths or through the end of 2005.

It found that women who took HRT before they were diagnosed with cancer were more likely to be diagnosed with estrogen receptor-positive cancer, and that the cancer was smaller and detected at an earlier stage. Marshall says that this type of cancer – estrogen receptor-positive cancer – is easier to treat and as a result, women have a lower risk of dying.

SOURCE: Hormone Replacement Therapy › Estrogen receptor-positive cancer easier to treat, study says

In 1997, two women – one in Kansas and the other in New York – were becoming frustrated with the lack of beneficial and comprehensive health care information available to them, especially on the topic of menopause. So they teamed together and formed ProjectAWARE.

The mission of this nonprofit organization is to provide “menopausal and pre-menopausal women with complete and comprehensive information regarding all resources, therapies, and research data currently available, so that armed with this knowledge, women can make informed decisions regarding every healthcare option.”

ProjectAWARE, also known as the Association of Women for the Advancement of Research & Education, has since built to a team of eight and, through its website, gives detailed information about hormone replacement therapy (HRT), including synthetic HRT, natural (bio-identical) HRT, and alternatives to hormones, such as herbal remedies.

The site also touches on the possible link between HRT and breast cancer and other serious illnesses, and gives background on studies and trials that have made HRT a controversial subject over the past few years.

One of the best resources I’ve found on the site are the personal, heartfelt stories of women detailing their journey through menopause and beyond. As women, we find strength in numbers. Just knowing that someone else is experiencing the same symptoms or fears as she approaches “the change,” gives us added confidence to tackle the rough road ahead.

SOURCE: Hormone Replacement Therapy › ProjectAWARE answers questions about menopause