Cancer Commentary - Caring About Cancer

Decade of Estrogen Use Increases Breast Cancer Risk

by Jane Chin, Ph.D. on May 9th, 2006

Women who take estrogen for osteoporosis may want to consider alternatives because a Nurses’ Health Study of over 28,000 women has linked 10 or more years of estrogen use to increasing breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women.

However, a study from the Women’s Health Initiative showed that at 6.8 years there was no link between estrogen use and breast cancer. Another Nurses’ Health Study showed that under 10 years, no risk link was seen. However, estrogen use under 10 years may be linked to other risks like deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

For women who have taken estrogen for more than 20 years, that risk increase becomes highly significant.

This suggests that women who need to take estrogen to prevent osteoporosis may want to explore alternatives. More on Google

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