|
New study links estrogen treatment and breast cancer
February 26, 1997
Web posted at: 9:30 p.m. ESTFrom Correspondent Eugenia Halsey
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- It's traditionally considered healthy for older women to have strong bones, although a new study may cast doubt on that age-old wisdom.
That's because women with dense bones are more likely to develop breast cancer, suggests a new article in the New England Journal of Medicine, entitled "Bone Mass and the Risk of Breast Cancer Among Postmenopausal Women."
As women approach menopause, many consider taking estrogen to replace the hormones their bodies lose. Estrogen helps to make bones stronger, an important consideration in combating osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease that afflicts many older women.
But the downside is that estrogen treatment may increase a woman's chances of developing breast cancer, a revelation that may complicate decision making for many women.
A case in point is Mary Beth Emerson, who is deciding whether or not to take estrogen.
Emerson says her family health history comes with "quadruple whammies": "My family of origin has a very, very strong heart disease history, a strong cancer history. My mother had osteoporosis."
The new report in the New England Journal of Medicine gives Emerson and other women plenty to think about. When researchers tracked 1,300 women for 25 years, they found those who had the densest bones were 3.5 times more likely to develop breast cancer than those with the least dense bones.
The researchers say a woman's bone bass may be a way of measuring her estrogen exposure over time. Knowing her estrogen exposure may help to predict her risk for breast cancer.
"If there were choices to be made about mammograms, for instance, early detection techniques, it might influence the behaviors a little bit to become more aggressive about mammography," said Dr. Douglas Kiel of the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged.
But the researchers and others warn women not to overreact to this study: For most women estrogen provides crucial benefits.
"Breast cancer affects one in nine women, and it's one of the most serious threats to women's health," said Dr. Joan McGowan of the National Institutes for Health. "But osteoporotic fractures are going to affect one in two women before the end of their lives."
The researchers also say it may be a woman's lifetime exposure to estrogen that could increase her chances of developing breast cancer -- not necessarily estrogen taken during and after menopause.
For women trying to decide how to protect their health now, experts recommend they discuss their family history with their doctor -- and then weigh the pros and cons.
Related stories:
- New panel tackles problem of mammography guidelines - February 25, 1997
- Panel does little to settle mammogram debate - January 23, 1997
- Three studies recommend earlier mammograms - December 2, 1996
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- National Cancer Institute's CancerNet
- National Institutes of Health
- Breast Cancer Network
- CDC Breast Cancer-Related Projects
- American Cancer Society
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interacti ve.
Tell us what you think!
You said it...
© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.