Be Careful Choosing Hormone Therapy For Breast Cancer Patients, Understand The Risk

JAKARTA - Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women, and various factors can affect the risks ranging from genetics, lifestyles, to certain medical therapies such as hormone therapy.

Hormone therapy is often recommended to treat symptoms of menopause, but not all types of therapy have the same impact on the risk of breast cancer.

A large study conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), United States, found that the two types of hormone therapy that are often used have a different influence on the risk of breast cancer, especially in women under the age of 55.

According to the results of the study, estrogen hormone therapy (E-HT) is actually associated with a decrease in the risk of breast cancer when compared to women who do not undergo hormone therapy at all. In contrast, a combination of estrogen therapy and progestin (estrogen plus hormone protein therapy/EP-HT) is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

"Our study provides a better understanding of the risks associated with various types of hormone therapy, which we hope can help their patients and doctors develop a more informative treatment plan," said Katie O'Brien, lead researcher in the study who is also a researcher at the National Institute of Environmental Health. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/NIEHS) which is covered by NIH.

The findings were published on June 30 in the journal Lancet Oncology, based on an analysis of data on more than 459,000 women under the age of 55 from various regions, including North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Katie O'Brien, the lead researcher who also works at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), said the study aims to provide a deeper understanding of the type of hormone therapy used, so that patients and doctors can make more appropriate decisions in determining treatment.

In its analysis, the use of E-HT is associated with a decrease in breast cancer incidence by 14 percent compared to groups that do not undergo hormone therapy. This protective effect is more seen in women who start using E-HT at a younger age or in a longer period of time.

In contrast, the use of EP-HT shows an increase in the risk of breast cancer by 10 percent, and even an increase of up to 18 percent if therapy is run for more than two years. This study estimates that the cumulative risk of breast cancer before the age of 55 reached 3.6 percent in E-HT users, 4.5 percent in EP-HT users, and 4.1 percent in women who have never undergone hormone therapy.

Researchers also found the highest risk in EP-HT users was recorded in women who had no history of uterine removal (hysterectomi) or egg protection (oophorectomy) surgery. This shows that medical history and surgical procedures need to be thoroughly considered before deciding the right type of hormone therapy.

Dale Sandler, senior scientist at NIEHS and one of the researchers in the study, stressed the importance of an individual approach to hormone therapy. These findings show that there is not a single suitable solution for all. PERSONalized medical consultations are essential in determining a safe therapeutic option,' he said.