HRT Won’t Raise Recurrence Rate for Breast Cancer Survivors

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, July 20, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Hormone substitute remedy (HRT) for breast most cancers survivors would not seem to extend the danger of most cancers recurrence or dying, Danish researchers report.

Although HRT has beforehand been linked to a raised danger of breast most cancers’s return, these earlier research referred to oral HRT and never vaginal estrogen cream. The newest research, nonetheless, discovered no enhance within the danger of recurrence or dying for girls getting both kind of HRT.

“These findings must be reassuring that the usage of HRT shouldn’t be associated to any main dangers within the recurrence of breast most cancers or danger of dying for most girls,” mentioned lead researcher Dr. Soren Cold, from the division of oncology at Odense University Hospital.

For girls taking aromatase inhibitors to decrease estrogen ranges, there’s a small danger of recurrence, however no elevated danger of dying, he famous.

Cold added that whereas the research signifies short-term use of HRT for breast most cancers sufferers seems secure, long-term use could also be problematic.

In any case, he advises sufferers to have an in depth dialogue with their physician about utilizing HRT.

“It’s one thing that you will have to debate together with your physician as a result of like all different remedies, there are professionals and cons,” Cold mentioned. “You can not say it is prohibited, however you need to talk about it strongly together with your physician.”

For the research, Cold and his colleagues collected information on almost 8,500 girls identified with early-stage breast most cancers between 1997 and 2004. These girls obtained both no hormone therapy or 5 years of hormone remedy.

Among the ladies who did not obtain vaginal estrogen remedy or menopausal hormone remedy earlier than a breast most cancers analysis, 1,957 used vaginal estrogen remedy and 133 used menopausal hormone remedy after their analysis.

Over a median of almost 10 years of follow-up, 16% had a recurrence of breast most cancers. In all, 111 sufferers who had a recurrence had obtained vaginal estrogen remedy, 16 had obtained menopausal hormone remedy, and about 1,200 girls didn’t obtain both therapy.

The report was revealed July 20 within the Journal of the National Cancer Institute .

Despite these findings, Dr. Brittany Zimmerman, a medical breast oncologist at Northwell Health Cancer Institute in Lake Success, N.Y., believes breast most cancers survivors should be cautious when utilizing HRT.

The uncomfortable side effects from estrogen deprivation after breast most cancers have an effect on many ladies and is usually a main purpose for discontinuing breast most cancers remedies, similar to tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, she mentioned.

“As a medical oncologist, one in every of my principal roles is to assist sufferers handle signs of those drugs to enhance high quality of life, and assist sufferers stay on their breast cancer-directed therapies,” Zimmerman mentioned.

Many methods can be found to handle these uncomfortable side effects, together with hormonal and non-hormonal remedies.

“In basic, we keep away from estrogen-based hormonal therapies for sufferers with a previous historical past of breast most cancers primarily based on outcomes of prior research, which present an elevated danger of breast most cancers recurrence,” Zimmerman mentioned.

This research offers an fascinating new statement about the usage of vaginal estrogen remedy in sufferers with a historical past of breast most cancers, she mentioned.

“The research discovered a barely elevated danger of breast most cancers recurrence amongst sufferers who used vaginal estrogen remedy and have been taking aromatase inhibitors,” Zimmerman famous.

Earlier research have proven that vaginal estrogen is mostly secure in breast most cancers survivors and had very low estrogen absorption into the physique, she mentioned.

“I might, nonetheless, suggest sufferers with vaginal signs similar to vaginal dryness or burning strive non-hormonal therapies earlier than utilizing vaginal estrogen remedy,” Zimmerman mentioned.

But “this resolution must be made after dialogue with the affected person’s breast medical oncologist,” she added.

While the brand new research suggests there isn’t a elevated danger of breast most cancers recurrence with oral hormonal remedy, a number of earlier research have steered an elevated danger, Zimmerman famous.

“I might encourage all sufferers to debate the usage of hormonal remedy for decent flashes with their medical oncologist and to restrict use whereas additional research are in course of,” she mentioned.

More info

For extra on HRT and breast most cancers, head to the American Cancer Society.

SOURCES: Soren Cold, MD, division of oncology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark; Brittany Zimmerman, MD, medical breast oncologist, Northwell Health Cancer Institute, Lake Success, N.Y.; Journal of the National Cancer Institute, July 20, 2022