Using postmenopausal hormone therapy for more than 15 years increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, particularly among leaner women according to research at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
The research, conducted by a team including Tanmai Saxena, an MD and PhD student at the Keck School, has been published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, an American Association for Cancer Research journal.
The research revealed that women who have used postmenopausal hormone therapy for more than 15 years are at an added 19 per cent risk as compared to women who have never used it. The risk was an added 83 per cent for women who used combined therapy with estrogen plus progestin for 15 or more years.
The research also found other variable factors affecting development of cancer in women on prolonged hormone therapy, such as the woman's BMI. Thinner women, as reported by Health News Track, appear to be on a higher risk.
Dr Saxena advises: "There needs to be a personalized conversation with women about the risks of using postmenopausal hormone therapy."
