Menopausal hormone therapy and the breast: review of clinical studies.

This article is based on a selective literature search for relevant studies regarding HRT use and the risk of breast cancer in general population or BRCA carriers, risk of breast cancer recurrence or risk for breast cancer in situ (BCIS). Summary: HRT can lead to little or no increase in breast cancer risk. The risk depends on the duration and composition of the HRT and decreases after stopping the treatment. Data assessing the oncological safety of HRT after breast cancer is inconsistent. According to current knowledge HRT is fundamentally contraindicated after breast cancer but can be individually considered after risk-benefit assessment and when non hormonal therapies have failed. The same applies to a HRT after DCIS, which should not be routinely offered but nonetheless can be considered in individual cases. HRT can be offered up to the age of natural menopause for BRCA mutation carriers who are undergoing risk-reducing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) and do not have a personal history of breast cancer but is contraindicated in BRCA mutation carriers who have already had breast cancer.
Source: Breast Care - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research