Friday, October 09, 2009
Hormone Replacement Therapy may increase risk of death from lung cancer
Hormone Replacement Therapy has been linked throughout the years to a higher risk of breast cancer in women. The Women's Health Initiative findings of the link to breast cancer, blood clots and heart attack caused the lightbulb to come on with many women. Women began searching for safer alternatives to taking the traditional hormone replacement therapies.
Another study recently reported in the Lancet is showing that post-menopausal women who have lung cancer and take hrt - estrogen and progestin - may increase their risk of dying from their lung cancer than those women who do not take the hormone replacement therapy. The eight year study of 16,600 post-menopausal women who were taking the combined therapy of estrogen and progestin were 71 percent more likely to die than those who were taking a placebo.
Experts say the research makes sense as estrogen could increase blood flow to the tumors and also decrease the effectiveness of cancer treatment.
The highest risk of those taking the drugs was in the age range of 69-70. NOTE: The risk of developing lung cancer was not increased due to these drugs. However the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, strokes and heart disease have been shown to increase with the use of estrogen and progestin.
Those individuals who are at high risk of lung cancer should re-think taking hormone replacement therapy drugs. Dr. Apar Kishor Ganti suggested that "these results seriously question whether hormone-replacement therapy has any role in medicine today". "It is difficult to presume that the benefits of routine use of such therapy for menopausal symptoms outweigh the increased risks of mortality".
Lung Cancer is the second-most common cancer in the United States killing about 90,000 men and 70,000 women each year.
Use of bio-identical progesterone has never been linked to cancer in women or men - although the terms progestin and progesterone are often alternated in studies - looking deeper into the studies will show that the "progesterone" is simply synthetic progestin.
Another study recently reported in the Lancet is showing that post-menopausal women who have lung cancer and take hrt - estrogen and progestin - may increase their risk of dying from their lung cancer than those women who do not take the hormone replacement therapy. The eight year study of 16,600 post-menopausal women who were taking the combined therapy of estrogen and progestin were 71 percent more likely to die than those who were taking a placebo.
Experts say the research makes sense as estrogen could increase blood flow to the tumors and also decrease the effectiveness of cancer treatment.
The highest risk of those taking the drugs was in the age range of 69-70. NOTE: The risk of developing lung cancer was not increased due to these drugs. However the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, strokes and heart disease have been shown to increase with the use of estrogen and progestin.
Those individuals who are at high risk of lung cancer should re-think taking hormone replacement therapy drugs. Dr. Apar Kishor Ganti suggested that "these results seriously question whether hormone-replacement therapy has any role in medicine today". "It is difficult to presume that the benefits of routine use of such therapy for menopausal symptoms outweigh the increased risks of mortality".
Lung Cancer is the second-most common cancer in the United States killing about 90,000 men and 70,000 women each year.
Use of bio-identical progesterone has never been linked to cancer in women or men - although the terms progestin and progesterone are often alternated in studies - looking deeper into the studies will show that the "progesterone" is simply synthetic progestin.
