HRT does not cause breast cancer

An Australian breast cancer experts says fears that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may cause breast cancer are unfounded.

An Australian breast cancer expert says fears that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may cause breast cancer are unfounded.

Breast surgeon Dr Colin Furnival has told a conference in Brisbane there is good evidence to suggest HRT may stimulate existing tumours rather than causing cancers.

Dr Furnival says many women have been worried about using the therapy since the results of the first controlled trial were released last year, but he says they have no reason for concern.

“This interpretation should be reassuring for women who are using hormone replacement therapy because their overall lifetime risk of getting a breast cancer is probably not influenced by taking hormone replacement for a few years,” Dr Furnival said.

“As a result of the way the reports were promulgated last year, there’s been a great fear that this might result in them getting a breast cancer – that is simply not true,” he said.

He says it is more likely the therapy stimulates already established tumours.

“What we are seeing in all of these studies in the excess numbers of breast cancers are cancers that were already there, which have appeared a little earlier as a result of the hormone replacement,” Dr Furnival said.

“An important consequence of that is that in the long-term there is no increase in the risk of dying from breast cancer.”

(Source: ABC Online; Last Update: Sunday, May 11, 2003. 3:27pm (AEST))