August 11th, 2009
A recent study proclaims that women who currently take, or have taken hormone therapy are at a greater risk of ovarian cancer then women who have never participated in hormone therapy. The study further states that regardless of duration of use, formulation, estrogen dose, regimen or route of administration there is an increased risk of ovarian cancer.
Due to how little is known of ovarian cancer, primary prevention is difficult. The study has, however, proposed an increased risk of ovarian cancer has been found among women who have undergone hormone therapy.
A study coordinated out of Copenhagen University, Denmark, analyzed the risk of ovarian cancer with regards to hormone therapy use. The study included 909,946 women without hormone sensitive cancer or who had not had their ovaries removed. The follow-up concluded with 63 percent of the female group had not been taking HT, 22 percent were prior HT users and 9 percent were current users.
During roughly eight years of follow-up, 3,068 cases of ovarian cancer were diagnosed. Set against never users, current HT users had a 38 percent increase risk of ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer risks lessen the longer a user is without hormone therapy. The risks of ovarian cancer did not, however, deviate by formulation, regimen, type of progestin or route of administration.
