New HRT research suggests it is safer than previously reported

1.00pm

New research showing that oestrogen-only hormone replacement therapy (HRT) used to treat the effects of menopause could reduce the risk of breast cancer provides "food for thought", Wellington Menopause clinic director Bev Lawton says.

Dr Lawton said she did not expect the Health Ministry to change its HRT advice on the basis of the study but said it was something they would need to look at.

After earlier studies such as the Million Women Study highlighted the risks of HRT, the ministry changed its advice to say women on the treatment should be reviewed six-monthly, and HRT should be taken at the lowest dose for the shortest period of time.

The studies showed the risks of HRT outweighed the benefits for everything other than for short-term use to relieve moderate to severe symptoms of menopause.

However, the latest research -- a United States study of 11,000 women -- paints a different picture showing a non-significant decrease in breast cancer risk.

Dr Lawton said it was too early to suggest the ministry should change advice.

"I don't think anyone will be changing its advice at the moment I think we need to spend a lot of time actually studying the result before we do that.

"It appears to be less risk with oestrogen alone. We are already saying there is a slightly increased risk of stroke but there are some perplexing results here that are different from the other study."

The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study found fewer women who used oestrogen-only HRT developed breast cancer than those taking a placebo.

The women on the treatment had had hysterectomies and were not being treated for menopause symptoms -- such as hot flushes and night sweats. Often progesterone is used in combination with oestrogen to treat symptoms.

Dr Lawton said further analysis could look at how HRT affected the development of osteoporosis among other things.

"It's very interesting though because there is this unexplained trend toward reduced breast cancer. It does tend to implicate the progesterone that was used in the other study, but we've stopped using that largely anyway."

Following the previous Million Women Study the number of women using combined HRT dropped drastically worldwide.

Dr Lawton said whatever the advice for some women the benefits of using HRT outweighed the risks.

- NZPA