Word: breast
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...sale of Premarin (a form of estrogen made from -- and named for -- a pregnant mare's urine). But estrogen use plummeted after 1975, when studies revealed that women taking the hormone had up to a 14-fold increased risk of uterine cancer. Reports of a 30% increased risk of breast cancer scared away many others...
...there are risks to estrogen therapy, they tend to emphasize the pluses. "The benefits of HRT will outweigh the risks for most women," says Dr. William Andrews, former president of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "Eight times as many women die of heart attacks as die of breast cancer...
Still, the specter of cancer continues to haunt HRT. With last week's New England Journal report, hope faded that progestin would offer estrogen users protection against breast cancer, as it does against uterine cancer. In fact, it appears that the combined hormones may put women at a higher risk for breast cancer than estrogen alone. This bad news came in the wake of an alarming report in May suggesting that long-term use of estrogen heightens the risk of fatal ovarian cancer...
...Breast-cancer specialist Dr. Susan Love shares her skepticism: "Many gynecologists are handing out these hormones like M&M's," she says. No matter how beneficial estrogen may seem, no drug treatment comes without drawbacks. In biology as in business, notes the Los Angeles oncologist, "there's no free lunch...
...Utian is quick to point out that not every woman should take estrogen. It is not advisable for those with a history or a high risk of breast or uterine cancer. Nor is it recommended for women with clotting problems...