Hormone therapy ups risk of ovarian cancer

This augmentation in the chances of getting affected by ovarian cancer does not depend on the dose of hormones or the formulation, how the hormones were administered (through mouth, a patch on the skin or vagina) and whether the treatment was a combination of estrogen and progestin or just estrogen.

Previous studies have also shown the relationship between hormone therapy and ovarian cancer.

However, the latest study is the most exhaustive and elaborate one on this topic, said lead author Lina Morch, a researcher at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University in Denmark.

Morch was quoted as saying, “Our study underlines that postmenopausal hormones increase the risk for ovarian cancer.”

She added, “Furthermore, this study suggests that no type of hormone seems safe regarding the risk of ovarian cancer- even at use below four years the risk is increased.”

Study details
For the study purposes, the researchers took into account more than 909,000 Danish women. All these women were aged between 50 to 79 years.

The women were followed for an average of eight years and it was discovered that 3,068 women had developed ovarian cancer.

On the completion of the study, 63 percent of the women had never undergone hormone therapy and nine percent were existing users.

There was an overall 38 percent rise in the risk of ovarian cancer in women who were undergoing hormone therapy currently as compared to those who never used it.

This risk went down in women who had used hormone therapy in the past. This is because with the passing of years the body gradually became hormone-free.

After two years, the risk of ovarian cancer was similar to the non-users of hormone therapy. Six years after the completion of hormone therapy, the risk went down by 40 percent.

Ovarian Cancer
Morch explained, “Ovarian cancer is among the most lethal of gynecologic cancers.” She said that this type of cancer is not easy to identify till it reaches an advanced stage.

Study limitations
The current study had its limitations, among which the major one was that the researchers did not look at the menopause age or consumption of birth control pills. Birth control pill usage and early natural menopause are known to lower the risk of ovarian cancer.

Experts advise that women should weigh the pros and cons before going in for hormone therapy because it’s utility cannot be completely discarded. A doctor should be consulted so that individual risk factors can be analysed.

The new study findings have been published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.